Downtown casino proposed

Monday, Feb. 17, 2003 | 9:49 a.m.

AUSTIN, Texas -- A team of local business leaders and power players wants to build a casino in downtown Austin, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The dream would cost $440 million, and raising the sum is the least of the uncertainties, the newspaper said.

First the Republican-dominated Legislature must allow it. Then Texas voters must sign off in a constitutional election. Then Austin voters, historically protective of their city's culture and character, must give their OK in a second referendum. Then the Austin City Council, which approves big developments, must consent, the American-Statesman reported.

But for organizers, the numbers make it worth the gamble. They say a casino project on Waller Creek, a block west of Interstate 35, would attract 7,000 people on a slow day and put 2,700 to work. They say it would provide a river of profit -- $200 million per year -- that could be taxed to help struggling schools, city services and the state government.

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