Gaming briefs for July 23, 2004

Friday, July 23, 2004 | 10:39 a.m.

Former LV exec joins Iowa firm

Midwestern casino operator Peninsula Gaming LLC has appointed Jonathan Swain as the company's chief operating officer.

Swain previously served as general manager for several Las Vegas casinos including the Tropicana Las Vegas, Station Casinos Inc.'s Palace Station and the Hard Rock hotel-casino. More recently he served as general manager of Sunset Station, another Station property.

Peninsula Gaming is a Dubuque, Iowa-based company that owns the Diamond Jo casino in Dubuque and Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas, La.

Swain replaces George S. Papanier as chief operating officer at Peninsula.

Casino negotiations advancing

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Two Indian tribes and the governor's office could agree by the end of the summer on a compact to allow the tribes to build a $210 million hotel and casino complex in Wyandotte County, officials say.

The Kickapoo and the Sac and Fox tribes have been negotiating with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' office since February. The tribes announced last week that they had completed the purchase of 80 acres of land near Kansas Speedway.

The two tribes already operate separate casinos in northeast Kansas, and representatives remained optimistic about a new deal. Also optimistic was Matt All, Sebelius' chief counsel.

"The negotiations are going along as we expected," Fredia Perkins, Sac and Fox vice chairwoman, said Wednesday. "We're proceeding normally."

Emily Conklin, the Kickapoo vice chairwoman, said negotiations could be completed within a month.

"We think things will be concluded in a very short amount of time," she said. "Things are going well."

New casino opens

SAND SPRINGS, Okla. -- The Million Dollar Elm Casino opened at noon Thursday, sparking hopes of jump-starting the Osage Nation's economy.

The $6.5 million casino with an oil field motif employs 160 people, many of them tribe members.

The casino has 500 electronic gaming machines, a food court, bar and lounge, gift shop and parking for 500 vehicles.

The 25,000-square-foot facility is expected to be expanded by 10,000 square feet, to be used for games and a restaurant.

The Million Dollar Elm Casino is named for a tree near the Osage tribal building in Pawhuska. During an early 1900s oil boom, oil-lease auctions were held under the tree. After $1 million in oil leases were sold under the tree, the name stuck.

CASINO SALE:

MGM MIRAGE today said it completed the previously announced sale of its MGM Grand Australia hotel-casino in Darwin, Australia, to SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited for about $140 million. MGM MIRAGE expects to report an after-tax gain of about $50 million in the third quarter because of the deal