A former Copa Casino employee told me some time ago that the Copa sailing ship, the original gaming vessel moored in Gulfport Harbor when the Copa opened, sunk in Europe following an electrical fire. The ship had been sold because it reached its capacity with table games, needing room to expand. The Copa moved adjacent to the ship on a barge with more table game space.
It was a great casino to play low stakes black jack. There was a bonus side bet paid out 25 to 1 on a dollar bet for the first two cards the same suit. It paid $50 for a $1 if you had a suited blackjack. You could also play single deck blackjack and could bet after each shuffle if player or dealer would get blackjack. Paid 25 to 1 if a blackjack was dealt and 50 to 1 if both player and dealer had blackjack.
Sounds like a sucker bet, but I hit it a couple times, once on the both blackjacks bet.
The Island View is built across U.S. Highway 90 unlike the two previous Copa sites -- the ship and barge casinos.
Don't forget the Jubilee in Lakeshore, MS. That's the far end of the western Mississippi state line where the road ends into Bayou Caddy. The Jubilee was supposed to be replaced by a smaller riverboat named the Jubilation, but a lot of legal difficulties over local taxing issues prohibited that from happening. The Silver Slipper operates on their mooring site and they put on a great casino program of busing people from Mississippi and Louisiana.
The food at the Slipper is excellent -- It has been voted "best seafood buffet" on the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast on several occasions.
The Slipper's poker room is very nice and the games are enjoyable because the atmosphere is tilted toward poker players with perks and extras.
Hope this helps somewhat.