Vegas company purchases riverboat for Hancock County operation

Tuesday, June 29, 1999 | 9:30 a.m.

Phoenix Leisure Inc. expects to invest $20 million to $30 million in its planned Hancock County operation at the site of the failed Jubilation Casino, said Deborah Hawkins, the company's chief financial officer. A hotel with at least 200 rooms also is planned.

"We've been down there and looked at the market and it's growing," said Hawkins. "This is a chance to have a small, friendly, easy place to go. Nobody else is doing that. The theme of the casino has not been announced. We've got to go through licensing and get our permits."

Last year, Phoenix Leisure leased the 30-acre former site of Jubilation Casino, which went out of business in July 1996.

Hancock County's only casino is Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis.

Early this month, the company bought the 245-foot Northern Belle from Park Place Entertainment Corp., the gaming operations spinoff of Hilton Hotels Corp. that owns Grand Casinos.

The casino riverboat has 23,000 square feet of gaming space, 828 slots machines and 38 table games. It was built in 1994 in Lockport, La., and is now in Ontario.

The riverboat is scheduled to leave Canada at the end of July for the 6,000-mile, 30-45-day trip to the Coast.