Commission approves 2nd gambling casino
06-09-2006
Gamers in the Fort Madison area will soon not have to make the trek to Burlington in the winter months to quench the quest for the jackpot.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission gave Catfish Bend Casinos permission to operate a moored barge in Burlington and a permanently moored vessel in Fort Madison, meaning each town will have its own casino.
Instrumental in the project to bring another casino to Burlington was local entrepreneur Randy Winegard, according to a press release from Catfish Bend.
He and other investors in the company he founded, Huckleberry Entertainment, will be the majority member among investors in Catfish II, which will continue to be primarily locally owned and operated. Winegard and his investors will buy ownership interests of the Robert and Ruth Kehl family in Catfish II.
The Kehls will continue to own their investment in Catfish Riverside, which will be one of two subsidiaries. Catfish Riverside will own its investment in the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort that is scheduled to open in September in Riverside and Catfish II will own the Southeast Iowa operations in Fort Madison and Burlington.
Huckleberry Entertainment will soon begin construction of a new moored barge that will be located next to Fun City in Burlington. The project will cost an estimated $25 million and in addition to the casino, will add 50 hotel rooms, a parking facility, events center and a spa. Once that project is completed, the riverboat will be permanently docked in Fort Madison.
Huckleberry will lease the barge in Burlington to Catfish Bend so it may continue its operations in Burlington at the new site.
Regency Commercial Services of West Des Moines will be the general contractor for the construction project, which Winegard said will begin in the next two weeks.
Winegard said the casino attracts about 57 percent of its customers from outside of the local area, and the expanded operations should bring even more visitors.
"Patrons will soon have the ability to enjoy enhanced restaurant facilities, hotel accommodations, an events center and the like, in an effort to stay competitive in the market and create a destination that will attract more customers from beyond Iowa's borders, particularly from Illinois and Missouri," he said.
The Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission also endorsed the proposal.
Representatives from the three communities served by Catfish Bend, Fort Madison, Keokuk and Burlington, approved the move.
"We could not be more excited about the plans of Catfish II and Huckleberry to reinvest in its facilities, to improve the entertainment package available to its customers and to attract more tourists to our area," SIRRC Chairman Larry Smith said.
The commission was asked not to create another situation where the communities that share the casino revenue to pick between cities. Dick Canella, a former gaming commission member from Fort Madison and a Southeast Iowa economic development activist, said the communities were torn apart in 1993 when it was decided to end travel by the riverboat casino to Keokuk.
"It would be terrible to ask Southeast Iowa to again choose between communities," he said.
With allowing the casino to have permanent operations in both cities, Canella said Catfish Bend can continue to be the poster child for regionalism sharing its operations and revenues between three cities and two counties.
06-09-2006
Gamers in the Fort Madison area will soon not have to make the trek to Burlington in the winter months to quench the quest for the jackpot.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission gave Catfish Bend Casinos permission to operate a moored barge in Burlington and a permanently moored vessel in Fort Madison, meaning each town will have its own casino.
Instrumental in the project to bring another casino to Burlington was local entrepreneur Randy Winegard, according to a press release from Catfish Bend.
He and other investors in the company he founded, Huckleberry Entertainment, will be the majority member among investors in Catfish II, which will continue to be primarily locally owned and operated. Winegard and his investors will buy ownership interests of the Robert and Ruth Kehl family in Catfish II.
The Kehls will continue to own their investment in Catfish Riverside, which will be one of two subsidiaries. Catfish Riverside will own its investment in the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort that is scheduled to open in September in Riverside and Catfish II will own the Southeast Iowa operations in Fort Madison and Burlington.
Huckleberry Entertainment will soon begin construction of a new moored barge that will be located next to Fun City in Burlington. The project will cost an estimated $25 million and in addition to the casino, will add 50 hotel rooms, a parking facility, events center and a spa. Once that project is completed, the riverboat will be permanently docked in Fort Madison.
Huckleberry will lease the barge in Burlington to Catfish Bend so it may continue its operations in Burlington at the new site.
Regency Commercial Services of West Des Moines will be the general contractor for the construction project, which Winegard said will begin in the next two weeks.
Winegard said the casino attracts about 57 percent of its customers from outside of the local area, and the expanded operations should bring even more visitors.
"Patrons will soon have the ability to enjoy enhanced restaurant facilities, hotel accommodations, an events center and the like, in an effort to stay competitive in the market and create a destination that will attract more customers from beyond Iowa's borders, particularly from Illinois and Missouri," he said.
The Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission also endorsed the proposal.
Representatives from the three communities served by Catfish Bend, Fort Madison, Keokuk and Burlington, approved the move.
"We could not be more excited about the plans of Catfish II and Huckleberry to reinvest in its facilities, to improve the entertainment package available to its customers and to attract more tourists to our area," SIRRC Chairman Larry Smith said.
The commission was asked not to create another situation where the communities that share the casino revenue to pick between cities. Dick Canella, a former gaming commission member from Fort Madison and a Southeast Iowa economic development activist, said the communities were torn apart in 1993 when it was decided to end travel by the riverboat casino to Keokuk.
"It would be terrible to ask Southeast Iowa to again choose between communities," he said.
With allowing the casino to have permanent operations in both cities, Canella said Catfish Bend can continue to be the poster child for regionalism sharing its operations and revenues between three cities and two counties.