Hallandale Beach casino closed indefinitely due to Hurricane Irma

The Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach remains closed indefinitely due to water damage from Hurricane Irma, which led to layoffs of more than 400 full-time and part-time employees.

Ashley Foster, marketing director of Mardi Gras, said the hurricane spawned a tornado that ripped a hole in the roof of the 70,000-square-foot casino, allowing rain to drench the floors and ruin carpets.

Foster also told SouthFlorida.com that the casino’s owner will have to replace all the carpeting on the slots floor, where Mardi Gras has about 900 slot machines. An assessment of the slot machines is under way.

Crews may need months to repair the slots floor, though the casino’s poker room could open within several weeks.

A weekend flea market in the casino’s parking lot has been suspended until Mardi Gras reopens.

Though the casino at 831 North Federal Highway in Hallandale Beach is still closed 13 days after Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane, other South Florida casinos have reopened.

Among South Florida casinos, Calder Casino at 21001 Northwest 27 Avenue in Miami Gardens had the second-worst damage but reopened Sept. 15. [SouthFlorida.com] – Mike Seemuth