Company halts gambling boat effort in Hyannis

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000 | 11:40 a.m.

The 168-foot Leisure Lady made a rough entrance into Hyannis Harbor in the summer, suffering minor damage as it banged into a police boat and a dock.

The boat's reception among local and state officials wasn't much smoother.

Efforts to block the casino boat prompted a federal lawsuit by the boat's owner, Leisure Time Casino Cruises, based in Norcross, Ga.

State Attorney General Tom Reilly, concerned about the spread of gambling, launched an investigation into jurisdiction over off-shore gambling boats. And a state lawmaker filed a bill to limit the spread of the boats.

Bernard Johnson, the company's director of special interests, said the obstacles prompted the company to abandon its year-long fight to operate out of Hyannis.

"When you consider the political environment we were operating in, it made sense," Johnson told The Cape Cod Times.

The company last month dropped its site application with the town of Barnstable, which includes Hyannis. It also dropped a federal lawsuit that claimed the town and the Cape Cod Commission illegally kept the boat from operating.

The Leisure Lady has left Hyannis Harbor, and the company has closed its local office.

Leisure Time already operates gambling boats out of Gloucester and Lynn. Johnson refused to rule out renewing efforts to operate in Hyannis.