Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast Reopens, Closure Sparks Wild John Travolta Rumor

Posted on: April 11, 2025, 01:42h. 

Last updated on: April 11, 2025, 01:51h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast has reopened following a one-day shutdown
  • The casino didn’t provide a specific reason for the closure
  • Rumors ran rampant, including one involving actor John Travolta

Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis, Miss., has reopened following a roughly 24-hour shutdown of the gaming floor. The closure sparked a series of rumors after the casino operated by Penn Entertainment failed to disclose a reason for the temporary shutdown.

Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast John Travolta
Did John Travolta temporarily shutter Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast? It’s unlikely, but the Bay St. Louis casino in Mississippi isn’t specifying why it closed for about a day this week. (Image: Casino.org)

On Thursday morning, the Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast abruptly suspended its gaming operations and most restaurants canceled reservations and stopped food and beverage service.

The casino’s Facebook page said only that “due to an unforeseen system issue” slot machines, live-dealer table games, and the sportsbook were closing. Along with the casino floor, the problem impacted and closed the Epic Buffet, Bogart’s Steakhouse, and Lucky Noodle.

The Celebrity Grill and Palisades Bar & Grill weren’t impacted. The resort’s hotel and RV park, pool and lazy river, spa, salon, and Bridges Golf Club also remained open.

Shutdown Spurs Rumors

With Hollywood remaining vague on what caused the shutdown, customers naturally came up with their own reasons.

Some suspected a cyberattack, as casinos remain favored targets of hackers. Others suggested that a string of slot jackpots, shared on the Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast socials, resulted in management shuttering the casino space to tighten odds.

Perhaps the most outlandish rumor was that actor John Travolta, who is in Ocean Springs about 35 miles east of Bay St. Louis filming “Cash Out 3,” wanted to visit or rent out the casino.

The third installment of the action-thriller series is the follow-up to “High Rollers,” which was filmed at the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in Mississippi’s D’Iberville and other locations along the Gulf Coast. Travolta has been spotted in recent days in Ocean Springs, which is northeast of Biloxi.

I was eating in the buffet, and when I got done, I was asked to leave and they told me it was a system error,” read a comment to the Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast’s shuttering post on Facebook. “Everything in the casino was working and a source told me it was because John Travolta wanted to rent out the casino.”

Casino.org reached out to Penn Entertainment and Hollywood Gulf Coast for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for this article.

Hollywood Gulf Coast opened in September 1992 as Casino Magic Bay St. Louis. The original riverboat was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, with the gaming barge floating seven miles inland into a forest.

Penn acquired the Mississippi gaming license in 2002 from Pinnace Entertainment and renamed it Hollywood in 2006. The casino is popular among locals and for its golf course, which was designed by Arnold Palmer.

Travolta’s High-Stakes Gamble 

In March, Travolta’s “High Rollers” movie hit theaters. In the film, Travolta plays a master thief who embarks on a casino heist to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend played by Gina Gershon.

“High Rollers” has received largely negative reviews. Screen Rant critic Mary Kassel said the movie is “neither fun nor engaging” and left her “wondering when it would end.”

“Every actor delivers their lines as if they’re being held at gunpoint and were given the script the day before,” Kassel opined.

A review on Rotten Tomatoes said “High Rollers” was “a tedious exercise in genre routine,” and “this cheap, forgettable sequel fails to make an impression.”