DiamondJacks Hotel and Casino is getting a new name to go along with a series of changes and renovations underway at the casino as Foundation Gaming Group, the Gulfport-based company that owns the casino, moves to improve the property and its attractions.

According to a company press release announcing the changes, DiamondJacks will be renamed WaterView Casino and Hotel, a name inspired by the property’s location along a bend of the Mississippi River.

Les McMackin, Foundation chief operations and marketing officer, would not give the cost of the renovation project.

No date was given when the new brand will be announced. According to the press release, the launch is planned for sometime in the summer, “in time for a summer-long event featuring promotions, events and entertainment.”

DiamondJacks marketing manager Alesia Shaw said the renovations in the casino will begin March 28 with a press conference on the changes that will feature an artist’s rendering of the final project. She said the casino will remain open during the renovations, but some areas of the casino floor could be closed off at times during the work.

“We are looking to do the work during our least busiest times to avoid inconveniencing our guests as much as possible,” she said.

The changes planned for the casino include:

• New paint and finishes on the exterior of the buildings and in the pavilion and the casino.

One of the changes in the casino, Shaw said, is the removal of rock formations that dotted the gaming floor and covered the walls along the floor. The formations will not be replaced, she said.

“The main floor of the casino, where we have two rock formations we use as stages, we will remove them and open that area up tremendously,” she said. “What will happen is there will one big stage by the bar, and we will use that for our promotions and special events.”

• Update the games, including new games and titles, and a new casino management system that will enable the casino to offer a greater variety of options to players at the game and improve delivery of incentives and offers to guests.

“What we are presently doing, we’re replacing some of the older model machines with new product, and we have been doing that approximately the past 3 to 4 weeks,” Shaw said.

• Re-develop the 7,000-square-foot Showroom, the casino’s event venue, enabling it to offer a regular schedule of entertainment and events.

The Showroom, Shaw said, was destroyed in the 2011 spring Mississippi River Flood. David Hill with Aladdin Construction, the contractor rebuilding the venue, said work is expected to be finished by May 8. He said the room will have special flood gates along the floor that will allow water to flow over the floor and equalize the pressure on the building.

“As long as the water doesn’t get above 8 feet, it will be fine,” he said.

“This area will serve as a venue for parties, meeting space and entertainment,” Shaw said. “We have some game shows scheduled here after it’s open.”

• Enhance the dining experiences at the casino’s three restaurants including physical updates, extended entrée and dessert offerings in the buffet and an expanded menu in the steakhouse to include more regional favorites.

“We’re keeping the same three restaurants,” Shaw said. “We have a new chef in the steakhouse, and during March have been holding a tasting menu and inviting people to sample items we would like to put on the menu, and they are giving us feedback.”

Changes at the buffet include a return to a full-service buffet, where drinks will be brought to guests’ tables, and a grill has been added. The casino buffet will also try to offer monthly meal specials, she said.

• Re-engineering the customer loyalty program to include a new name, new look, and tier benefits that will be unique to the WaterView brand.

“We are excited about the transformation of our Vicksburg property to the WaterView brand and the significant capital improvements we are making reflects our commitment to offering our guests a great gaming and entertainment experience each time they visit our property,” stated Greg Guida, principal and co-CEO of Foundation.

Jeff Dahl, principal and co-CEO of Foundation, said, “We are totally committed to elevating the customer experience by offering an updated and comfortable gaming environment, the latest games, the dining choices customers want most, a full calendar of exciting events and entertainment and unsurpassed customer service.”