Gaming briefs for June 9, 2004

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 | 11:28 a.m.

Gaming Board looks at hiring outside counsel

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Gaming Board's chairman confirmed Tuesday that he may try to hire outside counsel to help evaluate a plan by Mississippi-based Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. to operate a riverboat casino in suburban Rosemont.

Elzie Higginbottom said the outside counsel would furnish the board with a fresh viewpoint from that of its staff, which has been cold to the Isle of Capri plan.

The Gaming Board has been trying to revoke a license held by the stalled and bankrupt Emerald Casino Inc. to operate a riverboat in northwest suburban Rosemont.

To recoup investor money, Emerald agreed to sell the license, and Isle of Capri bid $518 million for it at an auction that ended March 11.

The Gaming Board chose Isle of Capri over Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which bid $520 million to build in Waukegan, and Midwest Gaming and Entertainment LLC, which bid $476 million to build in Des Plaines.

But the board's staff ranked Isle of Capri third among the three casino companies.

Casino negotiation measure advances

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A governor who begins negotiations with an Indian tribe for a compact involving gambling would have to notify lawmakers and parish officials in the area where the casino would be located, under a bill unanimously approved Monday by the state House.

The bill by Rep. Dan Flavin, R-Lake Charles, gives the governor 15 days from the start of negotiations to notify the officials, including lawmakers and the parish governing authority of the neighboring parishes.

Flavin's legislation was in response to what he said were secret negotiations between former Gov. Mike Foster and the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians to put a casino at Vinton, closer to the Texas border than four state-licensed riverboat casinos in Lake Charles.

The Vinton proposal was rejected by the U.S. Interior Department, but Flavin said local government officials and the general public that would have been affected by the casino didn't know about the state's deal until a local newspaper reported it.

The bill goes next to the Senate for debate.