Cape casino to cut weekday morning hours

Isle Casino Cape Girardeau announced Thursday that its hours of operation will be cut during weekday early morning hours.

Jill Alexander, spokeswoman for Isle Casino Cape Girardeau, said that effective Monday the casino will be closed from 4 to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday.

"That does not include weekend hours," Alexander said.

The decision to close the casino for those hours during the week was based on business factors, according to Alexander.

"It's really just a business decision," she said. "We're altering our hours to meet business levels and customer demand. Our other casinos in Caruthersville [Mo.] and Boonville [Mo.] operate in a similar fashion."

When asked if any jobs would be lost or scaled back due to the change in the casino's operating hours, Alexander responded that she had no information to give on that subject.

The change in Isle Casino Cape Girardeau's operating hours comes after the casino posted a sharp drop in attendance for the month of May. The number of visitors during that month fell to 71,739 people -- or 42 percent -- from a peak of 123,000 visitors in March. The casino also posted a drop in attendance during April, when 81,896 people visited. Isle Casino Cape Girardeau was the only one of the 13 casinos in the state to experience a decline in attendance from April to May.

Pertinent address: 777 N. Main St. Cape Girardeau, MO