CVB BOARD POINTS TO `POSITIVE' ASPECTS OF RIVERBOAT GAMBLING

Riverboat gaming was the topic at two meetings in Cape Girardeau Wednesday.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Advisory Board, by a unanimous vote of five members present, acknowledged at its monthly meeting the positive aspects that riverboat gambling would have on Cape Girardeau and the region's tourism industry.

Three hours earlier a local women's civic club, Excelsior, heard more about riverboat gaming from two women employees of the Boyd Group Gaming and Resort Co. Stephanie Schvaneveldt, director of internal audit with the company, and Kathy Vogel, casino pit boss at the Stardust Resort Inn Casino at Las Vegas, explained the proposed riverboat project for Cape Girardeau.

In explaining his motion during the CVB board meeting, board member David Ross said tourism is the No. 1 industry in Missouri, and as members of the board, "We are keenly interested in tourism as it relates to Cape Girardeau.

"The board is in favor of any endeavor that will increase tourism in this area," said Ross.

Dennis "Doc" Cain seconded the motion and Beverly Estes, Walt Wildman and Robert Hoppmann were in agreement with the motion.

During the discussion stage of the motion, Ross, in a prepared draft for the board, explained that the riverfront project is expected to increase outside visitors to Cape Girardeau by up to one million per year.

Another positive of the project is the outside business investments in the development of the riverfront-downtown area, allowing the city to capitalize on its Mississippi River, he said.

"It will also provide a marketing tool for selling Cape Girardeau as a destination and stop-over location for bus tours," said Ross. "The city would receive publicity throughout other parts of the U.S."

CVB board members pointed out that even though the board supports increased tourism citizens of Cape Girardeau are encouraged to vote their own convictions on the merits of riverboat gambling when they go to the polls June 8.

The Boyd Group, headquartered in Las Vegas, has proposed a $37.5 million development for Cape Girardeau if the measure to have a riverboat casino is approved by the voters.

In other CVB action, the board agreed to allocate $5,000 for the Cape Girardeau Aviation and Balloon Day program to be held in July if funds were available.

"The riverboat project would mean more jobs, more tourists and more money in state and local government budgets," said Schvaneveldt during her address to the Excelsior Club at noon. "More money spent in Cape by tourists means more money for city services."

Schvaneveldt told the group that she never gambled; that her career was in the gaming industry. "I could be working for a number of companies," she said. "I like the company I'm with."

Another spokesman for the Boyd Group said Wednesday that plans for the riverboat gaming development in Cape Girardeau had already ignited interest in the project's 800 jobs.

"We started receiving resumes and telephone calls even before we announced the project last week," said the spokesman, Dan Davis. "We've also received calls from people wanting to send us information on a variety of services, from business machines and telecommunications to security firms to horse-drawn carriages."