Sale of Flamingo Hilton Casino to Isle of Capri approved

Jason Strait

Wednesday, May 31, 2000 | 9:36 a.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. has cleared the final hurdle in its $33.5 million purchase of the Flamingo Hilton Casino and will assume ownership of the riverboat next week.

The Missouri Gaming Commission approved the sale of the downtown riverboat on Wednesday at a meeting in Kansas City.

Isle of Capri Casinos, based in Biloxi, Miss., plans to give the Flamingo a $15 million makeover once the sale is complete, shedding the riverboat's hot pink and purple facade for a toned-down, 19th century exterior.

According to floor plans made public earlier, the casino's interior would be transformed into Isle's trademark Caribbean village motif, including a large waterfall in the middle of the gaming floor.

The casino would remain open during the remodeling and all 800 employees would be guaranteed a job, Isle officials have said. The remodel should be completed by the end of the year.

The makeover would make the Isle casino identical in decor and operations with Isle's 10 other casinos.

In addition to its five casinos in the South, Isle of Capri now owns and operates casinos in Iowa and Colorado, and is currently building mid-Missouri's first casino in Boonville.

Dave Miller, Hilton's acting general manager, will become the daily operations chief under the new ownership. Miller will work under Isle general manager-designate Dan Weindruch, a certified public accountant, who now is the corporate director of finance properties at the company's headquarters in Biloxi.

Hilton Hotel Corp. has owned and operated the $300 million gambling vessel since January 1997.