Gaming briefs for April 9, 2004

Friday, April 9, 2004 | 11:26 a.m.

South Coast to break ground April 22

The newest property in the Coast Casinos Inc. chain will break ground April 22 in southern Las Vegas.

The South Coast hotel-casino will be built at Las Vegas Boulevard South and Silverado Ranch Boulevard.

Clark County officials have approved a three-tower, 2,139-room plan for the property, but company officials have not released details of the project.

Coast Casinos, which already operates the Barbary Coast on the Strip and neighborhood casinos Gold Coast, The Orleans and Suncoast, is in the process of being merged into Boyd Gaming Corp., in a $1.3 billion deal announced in February.

Under terms of the agreement, Coast would become an independent subsidiary of Boyd, operating under existing Coast management. The merged companies would have a total of 17 casinos with 25,500 employees.

Gaming Board defends decision

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Gaming Board said Thursday it knew about alleged mob ties in Rosemont but contended the casino that wants to open there can be shielded from organized crime if the board has enough staff to properly regulate it.

"I submit to you that if we move forward with this facility, it will not be mobbed up," board Chairman Elzie Higginbottom said. "And if you put a facility anywhere and it is not appropriately and properly regulated, the mob will move in. They are mobile, ladies and gentlemen. They do not just sit in one spot."

Higginbottom's comments came during a nearly three-hour meeting in which board members responded to Attorney General Lisa Madigan's demand that they publicly explain their selection of Mississippi-based Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. to receive the state's 10th casino license. The bankrupt Emerald Casino Inc., which also wanted to build in Rosemont but never did, holds the license now.