The Associated Press

Thu, May 8, 2008 (7:07 p.m.)

St. Louis' newest casino takes a loss in its first full quarter of operation.

Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment opened the $507 million Lumiere Place on the St. Louis riverfront on Dec. 19. For the period of January through March, Pinnacle says the casino lost $760,000 on revenue of $47.2 million.

The results include the casino, its hotel complex and the Admiral Riverboat Casino, a much smaller downtown casino.

Pinnacle says the company incurred high expenses for customer services, staffing and marketing associated with the startup.

Pinnacle is planning another casino in south St. Louis expected to open next year.

Overall, Pinnacle says first-quarter revenue was up 10.5 percent to $257 million for the first quarter.