Gambling itch takes patrones

As the 13 damaged or destroyed casinos on the Mississippi Coast continue to emerge from the rubble of Hurricane Katrina, many Pensacola Bay Area residents are seeking new gambling outlets. And it seems nothing but the sounds and excitement of slots will do. Locals are passing by area gaming opportunities -- bingo halls, lottery tickets vendors and greyhound races -- and heading for greener gambling pastures.

"People like the simplicity of a machine," said Pensacola Greyhound Track general manager Nick Schlikin. "It's a very hot product. They want to just push a button or pull a lever." So with most Biloxi venues out until at least the end of the year, other casinos in Mississippi and Alabama are welcoming Floridian faces. And the staff of Good Time Tours on Corday Street wants to keep those faces smiling. The motor coach company has expanded its charter service to include to casinos in Natchez and Philadelphia in Mississippi, and Atmore and Shorter in Alabama. Managers hope the trips will help fill the 48-percent-revenue void lost in Biloxi. The company was short two-thirds of its business after Katrina pummelled the casinos Aug. 29. "We took a big hit," owner Darrel Stevison said. "Everyone did."

Manager Jerri Smith said the new trips have had customers jumping at the chance of something new. "You can't compare these casinos to Biloxi's," she said. "But all of the trips in the last month have sold out." The company's buses help Perlia Moultrie, 58, feed her appetite for slot play. The Pensacola resident travels three to four times a week to get her casino fix.