JEFFERSON CITY (AP) --

Mark Twain would scarcely recognize Missouri's modern-day riverboat casinos.

They are more like buildings than vessels, connected to land by power cables, plumbing lines and data circuits. They never leave the dock; one doesn't even have engines. Many of them aren't directly on the Missouri or the Mississippi itself, but in shallow ponds filled with piped-in river water.

The boats exist by virtue of certain legal fictions created by law or regulation since Missouri approved gambling on the water in 1992.

But now Missouri's highest court appears to have dealt a losing hand to these landlocked ''boats in moats.''

The Missouri Supreme Court turned to the dictionary for a definition of ''on'' the river and ruled last month that ''boats in moats'' are not what the voters had in mind in 1994 when they amended the state constitution to allow games of chance on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

The seven justices ruled unanimously that casinos must be ''solely over and in contact with the surface'' of the rivers. Areas where boats float can be manmade but must be ''contiguous to the surface stream.''

According to the state Gaming Commission, just three of the 16 operations comprising Missouri's $652 million riverboat gambling industry are clearly on the main river channel. The agency will hold hearings later this year on whether the other boats meet the Supreme Court standard.

The operators of Missouri's riverboats, which have 12,000 employees and paid $190 million in state and local taxes in 1996 alone, have said it's business as usual while they fight to keep their licenses. But they warned that it would cost millions to move their vessels to the river.

''If the court rules for the plaintiffs, it will have a severe impact,'' said Larry Pearson publisher of Passenger Vessel News, a trade publication based in Metairie, La. ''We're talking about the loss of thousands of jobs.''

On Monday, in fact, a judge refused to order the Gaming Commission to take final steps toward licensing an expansion of an existing casino boat on the Missouri River at St. Joseph. The boat operator, St. Joe Riverboat Partners, has run a casino on the main river channel since 1994 but wants to move to a larger boat in a basin nearby.

Owner Bill Grace argued that he has ''played by all the rules,'' and had a $17 million investment on the line. He said he is now facing financial ruin.

Missouri's riverboats are more evocative of Las Vegas than of Life on the Mississippi, and look little like the big paddlewheelers that Twain wrote about. (In fact, Hannibal, the Mississippi River town Twain made famous, has repeatedly voted down riverboat casinos.)

Harrah's Flamingo boat in Kansas City has decorative smokestacks radiant with miles of neon lights and adorned with neon pink flamingos.

The President Casino in the shadow of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is situated on the Admiral, a one-time floating ballroom that shimmers with a metallic, Art Deco appearance.

At Maryland Heights, the Player's Island Casino has four boats topped by a neon-wrapped dome visible from busy Interstate 70 heading to St. Louis.

Over the years, the Legislature changed the law to allow boats to float in basins filled with river water situated no more than 1,000 feet from the main channel.

Lawmakers acted under heavy lobbying from boat operators, who wanted to avoid river cruises, citing safety concerns such as heavy river traffic, low railroad bridges and swift currents.

As a result, the Gaming Commission allows two-hour ''cruises'' in which the gangplanks are lifted but the boat goes nowhere. Passengers are free to step off the boats if they run out of chips, but they can't come back on board.

The moats are just deep enough to slosh river water around the hull. At the Flamingo, the water actually has to be pumped uphill to fill the basin.

''This was a scam from the start. There is no cruising like they promised, and it's a ridiculous setup,'' said state Rep. Todd Akin of St. Louis, who brought the anti-gambling lawsuit that went to the Supreme Court.

The president pro tem of the Missouri Senate, Bill McKenna, chuckled about his first visit to Casino Aztar, docked on the Mississippi River at Caruthersville. McKenna was running late and wasn't allowed to board minutes after the ''cruise'' began.

''So I went to the dockside bar and had a beer and looked at the boat that was, as they said, 'cruising,' and I had to laugh,'' McKenna said. ''I was with some folks from another state who said it was absurd. They wanted to get on board and gamble.''

If riverboat operators are sweating about the future, gamblers said they don't understand the controversy.

''If they're going to allow gambling, it shouldn't matter where it is,'' said Tom Sproull of suburban Chicago, who traveled to the Player's Island Casino, target of the lawsuit by gambling opponents. ''They've got to restrict it to a boat. That ought to be enough.''

George Robinson of St. Louis said he felt a little sorry for the riverboats, even though they sometimes take his money. State officials have ''already given their blessing,'' he said. ''It'd be kind of a shame to have all of this and take it all away.''

Bankruptcy Pros

Tiny firm has worked on some of the biggest bankruptcies in the '90s

One thing about bankruptcy lawyers: Business tends to be good whether the economy is good or bad.

In good times, consumers max out on their credit; in bad times, they can't get any. Either way, bankruptcy lawyers reap the dividends.

So it is with four-lawyer Lentz & Clark, a bankruptcy boutique that does nothing but bankruptcy and insolvency work.

"Anything related to debtor distress," said Stannard Lentz, who founded the firm 17 years ago.

The little shop of debtors has been particularly busy of late. Name the high-profile case, and chances are pretty good Lentz & Clark represented the bankrupt party:

Integrated Medical Resources Inc., the chain of impotency clinics that sought Chapter 11 protection last year and has since shut down; The Woodlands, the dog and horse racing facility that sought Chapter 11 protection in 1996 and was recently sold to St. Joseph casino operator Bill Grace; Sonny Haugland, a/k/a Sonny Hill, the auto magnate whose dealerships collapsed in 1995 and who filed for personal bankruptcy last year; Larry Minkoff, the adult bookstore operator who took personal bankruptcy under Chapter 11 in 1997.

"Our objective is to work solely in bankruptcy and do everything that needs to be done in (Chapter) 7, (Chapter) 11 and (Chapter) 13," Lentz said, referring to the liquidation, reorganization and wage earner provisions of the Bankruptcy Code.

Station Casino comes under fire from Black Chamber of Commerce

By RICK ALM - The Kansas City Star
Date: 10/27/99 22:15

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Station Casino Kansas City should be held to an agreement guaranteeing greater participation by minorities and women in casino purchasing and ownership decisions, the Missouri Gaming Commission was told Wednesday.

Joseph E. Mabin, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, said the agreement between Station and the Kansas City Port Authority was not being enforced. At the commission's monthly meeting, held in a St. Louis suburb, he urged commissioners to step in.

"The Port Authority has been lax in their duty," Mabin told commissioners, "and has turned a blind eye to the growth and development of minority business enterprises in Kansas City. ... We need some help."

The meeting, attended by more than 100 people, had a full agenda. Commissioners also heard testimony opposing Station's bid to purchase Flamingo Hilton Casino and opposing additional casinos in the St. Louis area.

In an interview Wednesday, Mabin said his group wanted the commission to insist that Station adhere to its agreement with the Port Authority on minorities before allowing Station to buy the Flamingo Hilton.

Mabin said his group was offended that, years after opening, Station was still falling short of its goal of 35 percent purchasing from minority- and women-owned firms and that no minority members had been brought into the casino's ownership mix.

In a letter to Station last year, the Port Authority indefinitely excused the casino from its 10 percent minority-ownership obligation because it found "no (minority) interest in an investment in your company's project" until it was more profitable.

That time is now, officials agree, as the Kansas City market has grown, even without open boarding.

"I can come up with a dozen names off the top of my head" of investors willing to buy preferred shares of stock in Station's Missouri subsidiary, Mabin said.

Station executives in recent weeks have met with Mabin's group to find solutions to purchasing issues. Station also has signed contracts with at least two minority-owned vendors, for office supplies and poultry, according to A. Marie Young, executive director of the Black Chamber of Commerce.

In a letter earlier this month to the Port Authority, Station's Midwest counsel, Troy A. Stremming, said buying goods and services from minority vendors was easier said than done.

Much of the casino's business is in gambling equipment and supplies for which there are no minority vendors, he said. Missouri law also requires the casino to purchase liquor from specific, nonminority vendors. Besides that, Stremming said, many firms -- minority and otherwise -- fail to pass Gaming Commission background checks as licensed casino vendors.

Stremming noted in his letter that Station had achieved a 30 percent purchasing level from minority- and women-owned firms and pledged new outreach efforts to reach the 35 percent goal.

Mabin applauded Station's recent efforts but said the casino must do more.

"We have a promise to improve this relationship," he said. "But we've had promises before."

Flamingo purchase

Herbert M. Kohn, a Kansas City lawyer representing KC Entertainment LLC, told commissioners the pending purchase of the Flamingo Hilton by Station would be anti-competitive and would leave gamblers with a "take it or leave it" choice in Kansas City.

Kohn's clients, including Bill Grace, principal owner of The Woodlands racetrack, want to buy and operate the Flamingo themselves.

Kohn told commissioners that Station Casino would control 48 percent of the Kansas City market and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. would control 35 percent if Station is allowed to acquire the Flamingo.

Station officials did not respond to Kohn's comments Wednesday. A company executive recently dismissed the group's market-monopoly concerns in Kansas City as a nonissue.

Instead, Kohn said, his KC Entertainment clients would bring market diversity, gambling experience, a commitment to minority and women involvement, and local ownership to the Kansas City market.

In addition to Grace, key owners would include Joseph J. Canfora and other executives of Illinois-based Empress Entertainment Inc., which operates casinos in the Chicago market. Canfora is a one-time Station executive and former president of the Kansas City casino.

Kohn also identified five local prospective investors in the ownership group. They are Georgia Buchanan, president of All Pro Construction Inc. and widow of Kansas City Chiefs great Buck Buchanan; Roger Cohen, co-executive chairman of Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services; Rafael Garcia, president and chief executive of Rafael Architects Inc.; Mary Jane Kelly, president of J.P. Kelly Properties and a Northland political activist; and Tula Turner Thompson, president of Supreme Insulation Inc.

St. Louis market

St. Louis area minister Gary J. Thomas led the largest delegation of visitors -- from the new South County First citizens group -- to oppose new riverboat casinos in south St. Louis County.

"They are going to suck money out of the community ... selling that false dream of getting rich," Thomas said.

Three casino companies are pushing the commission to approve additional riverboats in the St. Louis market.

Station Casino St. Charles and the President Casino on the Admiral in St. Louis were also expected to oppose market expansion, but at the last minute they canceled presentations to commissioners that had been scheduled for Wednesday.

Revenues at Station and President have been essentially flat since the four-boat Riverport casino complex opened in Maryland Heights.

Harrah's fined

The Gaming Commission also agreed to fine Harrah's North Kansas City Casino & Hotel $20,000 for failing to properly inspect dice before putting them into craps play and other violations of the commission's security and personnel staffing rules.

Harrah's has 30 days to decide whether to contest the penalty.

Isle of Capri expects to spend $15 million redoing Flamingo

Related Sites:
• Corporate profile: Isle of Capri Casinos
• Isle of Capri Casinos Inc.


By RICK ALM - The Kansas City Star
Date: 02/23/00 22:15

The presumptive new owners of the Flamingo Hilton Casino told the Missouri Gaming Commission on Wednesday that they expected to spend around $15 million remodeling the riverboat, inside and out.

That definitely means goodbye to the Hilton's huge pink flamingos, said Allan B. Solomon, executive vice president and general counsel for the buyer, Isle of Capri Casinos Inc.

"I wouldn't think so," Solomon responded when Executive Director Mel Fisher joked that the commission had grown fond of the flamingos that decorate the exterior of the vessel and wondered whether they would remain.

Solomon said the casino probably would remain open under the Flamingo's banner during remodeling and until the Isle of Capri's signs, gambling chips and tokens and other changes are in place.

Isle of Capri, based in Biloxi, Miss., announced earlier this month that it had agreed to buy the Flamingo from Hilton Hotels Corp. for $33.5 million, pending the commission's approval.

Bringing a rare road meeting to Kansas City, commissioners Wednesday also:

Agreed not to list the son of a reputed Kansas City mob boss in the state's "black book" of undesirables barred from casinos.

The son, Joseph Peter Simone, was blacklisted by the commission in 1997, based on his 1992 prosecution for illegal gambling and 1991 jailing for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury that was investigating his father. Simone's successful appeal concluded Wednesday.

In his written findings and recommendation, commission hearing officer John H. Altergott Jr. said Simone's past problems with the law were legally insufficient to warrant blacklisting.

Altergott also scolded the commission for waiting years before taking action against Simone.

"If the commission truly believed that his conduct in 1990 and 1991 while 20 years of age adversely affected public confidence and trust in gaming, the commission would have proceeded years ago," Altergott said.

Simone's father, Peter Joseph Simone, is one of seven persons listed in Missouri's casino black book.

• Granted permission for the proposed Mark Twain casino in LaGrange, Mo., north of Hannibal, to remain permanently docked.

  Bill Grace, majority owner of the St. Jo Frontier Casino, is lead developer of the $15 million project that includes a dining room and lounge. Construction is expected to begin this spring, and the casino is expected to open by early summer 2001.

  The project is expected to generate about $1.8 million a year in new taxes for LaGrange. The city's annual budget is $500,000.

   

• Scheduled a hearing for next month on a proposal for a second riverboat casino in the Boonville market.

  Grace also is majority partner in the proposed Five Trails casino on the north bank of the Missouri River.

  Isle of Capri is seeking commission approval to take over Davis Gaming's long-delayed Boonville riverboat project on the south bank. The company recently bought out California-based Davis' interest and will spend about $70 million on the project.

  The company also is negotiating with Boonville officials to modify Davis' plans, which had called for a turn-of-the-century theme for the proposed Victorian Star riverboat.

  Caribbean themes are Isle of Capri's trademark motif, and some City Council members have balked at approving the deal over that issue.

  "We can work something out that will be satisfactory to all parties," Solomon told commissioners.

  He pointed to the company's casino in Black Hawk, Colo., that has a Caribbean flavor on the inside but met local requirements that the exterior mimic an old mining town.

  Construction in Boonville will start soon, and the facility is expected to open late next year, Solomon said.

   

• Received a bingo staff report that showed continued decline since 1994 in the number of licensees and tax dollars raised from the charitable games.

  During the 1999 fiscal year, about 650 operators collected $4.4 million, bingo division supervisor Ron Pleus told commissioners.

  At its peak in 1994 -- the first year for riverboat casino gambling -- almost 1,000 bingo license holders brought in more than $8.5 million. Tax proceeds are distributed to public schools.

   

• Fined Grace's St. Jo casino $50,000 for numerous rule infractions dating back to 1996.

Monday, January 05, 1998   Tide turns against gambling boats with Missouri's high court ruling

Associated Press       JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Mark Twain would scarcely recognize Missouri's modern-day riverboat casinos.       They are more like buildings than vessels, connected to land by power cables, plumbing lines and data circuits. They never leave the dock; one doesn't even have engines. Many of them aren't directly on the Missouri or the Mississippi itself, but in shallow ponds filled with piped-in river water.       The boats exist by virtue of certain legal fictions created by law or regulation since Missouri approved gambling on the water in 1992.       But now Missouri's highest court appears to have dealt a losing hand to these landlocked "boats in moats."       The Missouri Supreme Court turned to the dictionary for a definition of "on" the river and ruled last month that "boats in moats" are not what the voters had in mind in 1994 when they amended the state constitution to allow games of chance on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.       The seven justices ruled unanimously that casinos must be "solely over and in contact with the surface" of the rivers. Areas where boats float can be manmade but must be "contiguous to the surface stream."       According to the state Gaming Commission, just three of the 16 operations comprising Missouri's $652 million riverboat gambling industry are clearly on the main river channel. The agency will hold hearings later this year on whether the other boats meet the Supreme Court standard.       The operators of Missouri's riverboats, which have 12,000 employees and paid $190 million in state and local taxes in 1996 alone, have said it's business as usual while they fight to keep their licenses. But they warned that it would cost millions to move their vessels to the river.       "If the court rules for the plaintiffs, it will have a severe impact," said Larry Pearson publisher of Passenger Vessel News, a trade publication based in Metairie, La. "We're talking about the loss of thousands of jobs."       On Dec. 29, in fact, a judge refused to order the Gaming Commission to take final steps toward licensing an expansion of an existing casino boat on the Missouri River at St. Joseph. The boat operator, St. Joe Riverboat Partners, has run a casino on the main river channel since 1994 but wants to move to a larger boat in a basin nearby.       Owner Bill Grace argued that he has "played by all the rules," and had a $17 million investment on the line. He said he is now facing financial ruin.       Missouri's riverboats are more evocative of Las Vegas than of Life on the Mississippi, and look little like the big paddlewheelers that Twain wrote about. (In fact, Hannibal, the Mississippi River town Twain made famous, has repeatedly voted down riverboat casinos.)       Over the years, the Legislature changed the law to allow boats to float in basins filled with river water situated no more than 1,000 feet from the main channel. Lawmakers acted under heavy lobbying from boat operators, who wanted to avoid river cruises, citing safety concerns such as heavy river traffic, low railroad bridges and swift currents.       As a result, the Gaming Commission allows two-hour "cruises" in which the gangplanks are lifted but the boat goes nowhere. Passengers are free to step off the boats if they run out of chips, but they can't come back on board.       If riverboat operators are sweating about the future, gamblers said they don't understand the controversy.       "If they're going to allow gambling, it shouldn't matter where it is," said Tom Sproull of suburban Chicago, who traveled to the Player's Island Casino, target of the lawsuit by gambling opponents. "They've got to restrict it to a boat. That ought to be enough."       George Robinson of St. Louis said he felt a little sorry for the riverboats, even though they sometimes take his money. State officials have "already given their blessing," he said. "It'd be kind of a shame to have all of this and take it all away."

Gamblers risk it all
By TRACY BARBER
The Bulletin

Photo by Tracy Barber/The Bulletin

IN BIG," says a massive cluster of flashing lights tempting anxious patrons. But not without controversy, the electric allure of Las Vegas has made its way across the countryside.

Casinos run by Native American tribes and professional gaming corporations are appearing all over Kansas and surrounding states, inviting travelers to eat, drink, be merry and to risk it all.

Sam's Town, a 1900s Victorian-style riverboat casino, with 80,000-square-feet, was the first of its kind in Kansas City, Mo. The Flamingo Hilton, Harrah's and Sam's Town are currently battling with gaming commissioners to keep slot machines running in their facilities.

The Riverboat-in-a-Moat case could cause the casinos to lose electronic gambling devices because they are not fully operational riverboats. In order to keep electronic gambling, the facilities may have to move further into the river.

In the meantime, they are losing up to two-thirds of their income without the games of chance.

However, despite legal complications, casinos continue to expand in other areas of the region.

After a year of negotiations, the construction of a new casino in White Cloud will soon be under way.

An Iowa tribe has also entered into contract with developer Bill Grace, owner of a $17 million casino in St Joseph Mo., which is currently unable to open its doors due to legal problems.

It seems gaming corporations will not rest, as there are continual legal obligations brought about by the state and anti-gambling plaintiffs.

Gamers and courts are struggling to find a common vocabulary and understanding of the law, while many would prefer to see casino's shut down for good.

According The Kansas City Star, Missouri casinos alone employ upwards of 12,000 people and pay almost $200 million in state taxes yearly.

Outside the big city, people are finding ways to satisfy the gambling bug. In Emporia, citizens place their bets on the Superbowl.

Detective Lieutenant Heffron of the Emporia Police Department explained "betting is legal if you're betting on your own skills."

"If you and I were playing darts, I could bet $1 that I'd win, but I couldn't bet on you," Heffron said.

Heffron said Emporia has very fews problems with gambling.

"In a town this size, (bookies) would have difficulty operating without attracting attention," Heffron said.

Two anonymous sources explained the "Fantasy Football leagues," that form around campus. They said eight individuals choose and bet on particular players throughout the season and "you get points depending on how well they do".

The bets generally don't constitute more than a $5 loss, and usually they are not placed during the playoffs.

The group watches the games and then meets off-campus to tally scores to keep from attracting too much attention.

"We haven't had to go to a bookie yet," one participant said.

They said after the Superbowl all of the money lost earlier goes into a pot. The winner in the league can expect to take home about $500.

The third place participant will recieve $100.

"We're all friends," one participant said. "It's a lot of fun, and a way to get together. We are all willing participants in the activity."

When asked about other gambling endeavors, they said they had been to the track a few times and to Harrah's Casino.

Whether people choose press their luck, or play it safe, Gambling (legal or not) seems to be here to stay.

Found in Gambling news magazine

Factions Split on Gambling Options

State leaders said Friday that if gambling interests could work together, they would have a chance at getting approval of slot machines and other casino-type games at horse and dog tracks.

At that time, it was reported that horse breeders opposed the bill because they thought they were not getting a fair deal for purse supplements in negotiations with Bill Grace, owner of the Woodlands, a horse and dog track in Kansas City, Kan.

article # 14/683

Found in Gambling morning gaming report

ISLE GETTING JILTED AT THE AISLE?

    Isle of Capri (ISLE) thought it had a sweetheart deal when it bought
development rights in Boonville, MO, from Marvin Davis. Unfortunately, town
fathers do like Caribbean-themed Isle Style. They prefer the Victorian look
planned by Davis. ISLE said no problem. The building will be Victorian on the
outside and Caribbean inside.

    That has prompted Bill Grace, owner of a casino in St. Joe’s, to ask the
state gaming commission to give him the Boonville license so he can build the
casino the town fathers want.

    Hmmmm. And ISLE is trying to move into Missouri in a big way, buying the
Flamingo boat in Kansas City and applying for a license to build a new casino
in South St. Louis. There’s some feeling Ameristar (ASCA) may have first dibs
on the St. Louis license. Oh well, one out of three is good in baseball.

    Boonville, by the way, is in central Missouri, halfway between KC and St.

Found in Sentenial tribune

Riverboat to expand sooner than expected

Lakeside Casino and Resort sailed through the first annual renewal of its state gaming license Friday.

The action by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission contrasts with a three-year struggle by Clarke County officials to win the gambling license.

This time there were compliments for Clarke County from gaming regulators.

Ken Baker represented the Clarke County Development Corporation before the commission. Larry Seckington of St. Joseph, Mo. and Joe Massa, general manager of Lakeside, represented Southern Iowa Gaming Co.

The development group is the non-profit holder of the gambling license, a state regulation.

“We are finally just beginning to observe the impact that our gaming license for the Lakeside casino is having on our community,” Baker told the commissioners.

He cited the economic impact Lakeside is making on the area. “We feel we are off to a resounding successful start. We are on the right track and we look forward to serving our south central Iowa area in the future.”

Casino to expand

Seckington told the Sentinel-Tribune that the owners of Lakeside have ordered architects and engineers to look at expansion of the two-month-old facility which has been attracting larger than anticipated attendance.

Need for additional parking is obvious, said Seckington, vice president and the corporation’s legal counsel.

The present hard-surfaced parking lot, with room for 996 cars and 16 buses, has been filled on weekends. Within days of the Dec. 31 opening and recognition of the problem, a parking area for employees was built. While this has helped, there is still need for more customer parking.

“It’s a nice problem to have,” Seckington said.

The attendance -- 124,418 people in January -- may also prompt expansion of the hotel faster than anticipated, he said. If attendance continues at this pace Lakeside will attract about 1.5 million people this year, 400,000 more than estimated.

The present hotel has 60 rooms. The facility was built so it could be expanded to 120 rooms. The hotel and convention center are attracting more inquiries than anticipated.

“Needless to say, we’re pleased,” Seckington said.

Finishing touches are being made to the plans for the RV park which will be built on the south side of Clay Street between the casino and Interstate 35. Some preliminary dirt work has been done.

Original plans had a 125-unit RV park southwest of the casino. Because there was too much slope this site was scratched.

“We’re looking at all the land we have under control to solve some of the parking problems and provide an RV park,” Seckington said.

Work at marina

The marina renovation needs to be completed as soon as possible, Seckington said.

As part of an agreement to let Southern Iowa Gaming use the city marina on West Lake as a “ship yard” where the riverboat was fabricated, president Bill Grace offered to modernize the marina.

Park of that work has been done but other work requires heavier equipment than presently available.

THIS WAS FOUND IN THE LAS VEGAS SUN PAPER

Construction set for new riverboat

This was found in Roadside America magazine

Mark Twain and Daniel Boone To Be Honored With Floating Casinos

The region that was the setting for Mark Twain's fictional adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn may be getting a riverboat casino. The Missouri Gaming Commission recently chose a Nevada-based developer for preliminary license review toward operating a floating gambling parlor in La Grange, just north of Hannibal, MO.

The owners of the proposed Mark Twain Casino say they will invest $12 million in a permanently docked casino and land-based dining and entertainment facility. State agency officials said the company also would pay the city $ 100,000 a year in rent plus $1.25 million to other municipal accounts over five years. The complex would have 400 slot machines, 12 blackjack tables, a sports bar and a gift shop that could generate about $ 21 million a year in revenues.

Two months ago the commission selected for similar licensing review a riverboat casino to be based in Boonville, historic home of another American icon, Daniel Boone. The proposed name of this casino is not known.

Tom Irwin, commission executive director, said there was no intent by the commission to link casino gambling with two of Missouri's most historic tourist attractions. [May 25, 1997]

THIS WAS FOUND IN GAMBLING MAGAZINE

Ground Broken On The Mark Twain Casino

Ground was broken monday, on the Mark Twain Casino. "You’ve waited a long time to see us get here and we’ve waited a long time to get here," Bill Grace, Casino Co-Owner. The wondering and waiting has gone on for six years, but owners Ward Salvage and Bill Grace say the wait is over. "This is wonderful. We have waited a long time for this. We have worked really hard," Jim Ellison, President Chamber of Commerce. Waterkotte Construction was awarded the contract of this $12 to $15 million project. Now, the shovels will be set aside and the bulldozers will start up and casino will begin to take shape. The actual boat will be a pontoon barge.

The police department is still planning to add several more officers. But even more jobs are on the horizon, a fast food restaurant and a motel have expressed interest in coming to the area and that interest is expected to grow. "It will have an impact greater than anyone expects because we are bringing a huge amount of people to this area," Bill Grace. And the impact will all be known in April, 2001.

article # 27/630