BILOXI MISSISSIPPI - During the height of the most devastating storm ever to punish the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the President Casino broke loose of its moorings at noon yesterday and was swept out to sea in the fury of ferocious Hurricane Katrina, feared forever lost. But today's dawn revealed a stunning sight: with only moderate damage, the formidable floating gaming barge from Biloxi had beached ten miles west of Havana, Cuba.
Inside, oblivious to the storm, Bob and Judi Mendelbaum and other regulars were still glued to the chairs they had staked out in the 5 cent video poker parlor before the rain even started, dropping coin after coin to play the game that addiction specialists describe as the crack cocaine of gambling.
"That was my third 'straight flush' of the night," exclaimed Judi, scooping up the coins as they casceded from the hopper. Her husband Bob was less enthusiastic. "If only she had listened to me and played the maximum number of coins, we could have put our grandchildren through college."
Cuban soldiers cautiously entered the casino to investigate, and Mrs. Mendelbaum handed one of them an empty glass. "I'm drinking Merlot," she said. Her husband looked out a window and, spotting a banner with Fidel Castro's familiar face on it, yelled to his wife, "Judi, look! I think they changed the name of 'President Casino' to 'El Presidente Casino.'"
