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Crowds Hit Newest Missouri Casino Boat7 December 2001BOONVILLE, Missouri – Dec. 7, 2001 –As reported by the Associated Press: "Tim and Pat Parish set gambling budgets of $100 each, piled into their van and rolled up Interstate 70 to Thursday's debut of casino gambling in central Missouri. "…They were among the first paying customers entering Isle of Capri's gambling barge, a 72,000-square-foot casino shimmering with neon, pastel hues and the blinking lights of 900 slot machines and 28 table games. "Hours earlier, the Missouri Gaming Commission signed off on Isle of Capri's license to open the first casino between the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas, and the state's 11th floating gambling complex. "…The mayor and city leaders helped open the casino, but not all residents support it. Lucy Farrell, 78, said she voted against allowing a local casino, `and I doubt I'll live long enough to see any good come of it here in Boonville.' "Still, debut day for the casino saw hundreds of customers lining up outside. The Isle of Capri's gambling floor reached its capacity of about 1,500 gamblers an hour after the 2 p.m. opening. "…Like other Missouri `riverboat' casinos, Isle of Capri doesn't cruise; it is a barge in a man-made moat some 50 yards (and across a railroad track) from the Missouri River. "The casino is decorated outside with two fake black smokestacks and swollen sides suggesting paddlewheels. Inside, the casino has `Isle Style,' the gambling chain's trademarked Caribbean-theme decor. Visitors wore necklaces of plastic flowers and the symbolic ribbon cut by oversized scissors was in shades of hot pink, turquoise, peach and yellow…" |