Gaming briefs for March 25, 2004

Thursday, March 25, 2004 | 11:02 a.m.

Five LV flights to be added

Southwest Airlines, the busiest commercial passenger carrier at McCarran International Airport, will add five new daily round-trip flights to Las Vegas beginning in June.

The Dallas-based company will add two round trips to Chicago's Midway Airport for a total of nine daily and one each to Baltimore for a total of three daily, San Jose for a total of seven and Oakland for a total of 11.

The company will acquire two new twin-engine Boeing 737 jets to accommodate the new service and will begin flights June 13.

In addition to new Southwest service to Philadelphia beginning May 9, the airline will have 186 daily flights when the expansion is completed, according to McCarran statistics.

Separately, Southwest announced an expansion of its soon-to-begin Philadelphia service, from 14 to 28 daily operations beginning July 6. Las Vegas, which will get one daily nonstop round trip to Philadelphia when service is inaugurated in May, won't get any additional flights in the expansion.

Dog track, casino to expand

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Dubuque Greyhound Park and Casino plans to expand its casino, nearly tripling the size.

Directors on Tuesday approved a $27.7 million expansion, up from an earlier $15.6 million plan.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved the $15.6 million plan in January, clearing the way for the addition of 400 new slot machines to the casino's existing 600-slot lineup.

But officials said recent developments in Des Moines made them start thinking bigger.

First, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down a higher state tax rate for racetrack casinos. Then, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow racetrack casinos to add table games. A Senate committee approved the bill Tuesday night, but it could be several weeks before the full Senate takes it up.

County voters OK measure

FORT DODGE, Iowa -- Webster County voters passed a gambling referendum Tuesday.

In a special election, close to 58 percent of voters were in favor of bringing riverboat casinos to the area.

Supporters in the area already have plans for a complex that would include a hotel, a convention center and an indoor-outdoor water park.

In the past year, six counties have approved riverboat gambling and five have rejected it.