Industry Happenings

Riverboat Report
By Ron Koziol
For the first time since modern-day riverboat gambling became part of the Iowa scene in 1991, the state's racing and gaming commission has given the OK for two casinos to operate under the same license.

The unique situation was approved for the Catfish Bend riverboat casino, which for the past 12 years has operated during the summer months in Burlington and the winter months docked and open for gambling in Fort Madison.

It was also the intention of the commission to keep both the Catfish Bend boat and the Mississippi Belle II gambling boat in Clinton, under Iowa ownership. An Illinois company had earlier approached members of the family of Robert Kehl, one of the state's first riverboat gambling owners, about selling the casinos.

Plans approved by the commission call for Burlington businessman Randy Winegard to pay $37 million for the Catfish Bend operation. His company will then spend another $25 million to build a casino complex that will feature 600 slots and 23 table games at the Burlington location. The casino, set to open next spring, will be located at the site of the Pzazz and Fun City Entertainment area along U.S. Highway 61. This location currently has a hotel and conference center, a bowling facility, restaurants, and indoor and outdoor water parks.

Wild Rose Entertainment, a group of Des Moines, Iowa, businessmen who recently opened the Wild Rose Casino and Resort in Emmetsburg, purchased the Mississippi Belle II for $46.5 million. Plans are to move the boat off the Mississippi River to a location on the west side of Clinton along U.S. Highway 30. The casino will be refurbished and redesigned, and will feature 650 slots and 20 table games. The owners are looking at late next year for the new casino to be operating.

But until then, there is still poker to be played. At the Catfish Bend poker room in Fort Madison, no-limit Texas hold'em tournaments are held at 7 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Registration starts at noon for the weekday games, and at 9 a.m. for the Saturday tournament.

The Mississippi Belle II has one table spreading $3-$6 Texas hold'em with a $60 buy-in. The casino is open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday. And while gambling cruises along the Mississippi River are fast becoming a thing of the past, there is still time this summer to enjoy one. The Belle II still cruises on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

In another Iowa move, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given approval for the Rhythm City Casino riverboat to move 380 feet upstream. This will allow development of a $43.1 million hotel and parking garage in downtown Davenport.

By this time two years from now, gamblers will be making their way to a new and much larger Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. That's because a $435 million upgrade by Horseshoe's parent company, Harrah's Entertainment, will bring in six barges to form the base of the new floating casino. The result will be a 175,000-square-foot casino on one floor.

Harrah's also has plans to renovate the Caesars Indiana casino in New Albany. While the casino boat would not be replaced, pavilion expansion and the addition of new restaurants and hotel rooms are being considered. It will then be renamed the Horseshoe Casino.

The 33-table poker room, one of the largest in the Midwest, holds weekly Texas hold'em, seven-card stud, and Omaha tournaments. The Saturday noon hold'em tournament seats 250 players.

Pinnacle Entertainment's new casino resort is under construction in St. Louis, Missouri, but it's already gotten bigger and more costly. Directors of the company have approved adding a nightclub, parking, retail stores, and other improvements. The budget increase from $350 million to $430 million also reflects higher costs of construction material.

Harrah's poker room at its St. Louis casino is now offering poker instruction to the public on Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The poker room is open around-the-clock on weekends, and from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Connecticut
Foxwoods Resort Casino … recently announced the appointment of Terry Chiaradio as the new director of poker operations. Chiaradio has played an integral role in the massive growth of the game at Foxwoods since the property's poker room first opened in 1992. She rose rapidly through the ranks from her early days as a dealer to shift manager to her present position, succeeding Kathy Raymond, who is now director of poker operations at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. Chiaradio is a native of Stonington, Connecticut, and holds a degree in business accounting from Mitchell College in New London.

Foxwoods recently celebrated the opening of its new WPT World Poker Room, the largest casino-based poker room in the country, with 114 tables and state-of-the-art technology. Carmen Electra dealt the ceremonial first hand, with WPT host Mike Sexton calling the action. A charter member of the popular World Poker Tour (WPT), Foxwoods hosts the highly rated series during its World Poker Finals and Foxwoods Poker Classic events each year.

A new $700 million development project is currently under way. It will feature an 825-room hotel tower and spa facility, 115,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, restaurants, nightclubs, and retail shops, as well as a 4,000-seat Performing Arts Theater. The development project will be completed during the spring of 2008.

Minnesota
Canterbury Park … The Minnesota Ladies Championship will be held at noon on Sunday, Sept. 10. The event is a $260 (plus $40) buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament, with the winner receiving a $3,000 package, including hotel, airfare, and buy-ins to both the U.S. Ladies Poker Championship and the LIPS Tour Championship, as well as cash and a beautiful trophy. The first lady of poker, Linda Johnson, and fellow Card Player columnist Jan Fisher will be attending the event and hosting a seminar and buffet at 10 a.m. on tournament day for the players. Linda and Jan will also be in the poker room on Saturday, Sept. 9 to meet and chat with players.

Canterbury's popular Fall Poker Classic will be held Oct. 14-27, with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $1,000. The schedule of events will be published at a later date.

Currently, besides around-the-clock play in the 50-table card club and daily simulcast action in the race book, the Live Racing meet is in progress and will run through Labor Day.

California
Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino … Cruises provided by Card Player Cruises, American Express and Visa gift cards, gift certificates from local merchants, Best Buy cards, and cash are just some of the prizes scheduled to be given away during the Player Appreciation promotion. Beginning on Aug. 1, players will receive one drawing ticket for every hour they play in the casino. Player Appreciation drawings are scheduled for Aug. 12, Aug. 26, and Sept. 9. Details are available in the casino.

Ocean's Eleven Casino … Cesare Del Prato won the recent Oceanside Open no-limit hold'em tournament and $16,500 in first-place prize money.

Enjoy an afternoon in a sky box overlooking the finish line at the Del Mar Race Track and feast on a "Taste of Baja" buffet lunch while participating in the upcoming Pick a Horse tournament. Players can win up to $200 on each race and there are six cash prizes for choosing the most winners for the day, starting with a first-place prize of $800. After the races, players will return to Ocean's Eleven Casino to enjoy yet another meal and participate in a no-limit hold'em tournament with an estimated prize pool of $7,500. The entire day, including transportation to and from the races, is $250 per player. Space is limited to 115 participants. Advance reservations are required. Contact Ed Briggs or Star McCormick to purchase your ticket, or to get complete details of all cash payouts.

Hawaiian Gardens Casino … Tournament Coordinator Rusty Mandap placed second in the $2,000 Omaha event at the World Series of Poker.

Recent $10,000 WSOP seat winners included Kathy Kolberg, John Derloshan, and John Cutter. The casino is sending a total of 14 people to the main event.

A total of $350,000 is up for grabs in freeroll tournaments. Scanning is under way for Omaha and limit hold'em. Scanning begins on July 31 and Aug. 7, respectively, for stud and no-limit hold'em.

On Aug. 6 at noon, $7,000-guaranteed ladies no-limit hold'em tournament will be held with a $65 buy-in and one $50 rebuy. On Aug. 12, a $60,000-guaranteed no-limit hold'em tournament will be held with a $340 buy-in and no rebuys. It starts at 2 p.m.
Recent weekly tournament winners were Long Tran ($5,440, no-limit hold'em), John Heard Jr. ($10,340, no-limit hold'em), Mark Schroff ($10,270, freeroll), Thinh Van Huynh ($10,220, freeroll), Gyorgy Kovacs ($5,840, no-limit hold'em), Sonny Sangjinda ($7,340, no-limit hold'em), Christopher Walker ($5,240, no-limit hold'em), Dwayne Matthews ($1,350, Omaha eight-or-better), Larry Olivarez ($4,690, no-limit hold'em), Jason Dooley ($10,200, no-limit hold'em), and Thuy Nguyen Jr. ($4,100, no-limit hold'em).

Las Vegas
Bellagio … Results of recent weekly tournaments were as follows:

$1,000 no-limit hold'em

Entrants: 169

Prize pool: $163,930

1. David Rheem, Miami, Fl $60,655
2. David Levi, Las Vegas, NV 36,065
3. James Jackson, La Quinta, CA 18,030
4. Adam Welse, Hales Corners, WI 9,830
5. Paul Pegum, Glendale, CA 7,375
6. Yesniel Pulido, Hollywood, FL 5,740
7. Pat Hamner, Richland, WA 4,100
8. Ryan Buckholtz, san Diego, CA 3,280
9. Roland De Wolfe, London, UK 2,625