Grand Station Casino closed this morning, affecting 230 employees.

Casino officials began escorting employees from the casino about 11 a.m., and security guards were turning prospective gamblers away from the downtown casino.

“This has a ½-million dollar negative impact on our city,” Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield said at an afternoon press conference attended by casino employees and officials from the casino and the city. “We were hoping that the parties involved could come to an agreement, but that could not happen.”

Winfield said the city would work with companies interested in acquiring the casino, adding he hoped Delta Investments and Development, which owns the casino, would reach an agreement with Chappapeela Development Corp., which bought the hotel in January. The company did not mention any interest in the casino when it announced March 15 it was purchasing the hotel.

“We hope we can get the parties back to the table,” Winfield said. “This is a good property with a lot of potential.”

Read more in Thursday’s The Vicksburg Post