GAMBLING PANEL ADDS TWO PROPOSALS

Players International, which operates Players Riverboat Casino at Metropolis, Ill., is one of three companies vying for licenses for two riverboat casino projects.

The Missouri Gaming Commission voted Wednesday to process just two more riverboat gambling proposals over the next 12 to 18 months. The commission will investigate bids by three gaming companies to operate two casinos, one in Kansas City and one in West St. Louis County.

The commission did leave open the possibility of adding others within the 18-month period but didn't specify which ones or when.

The commission will consider these companies for licenses:

-- Station Casinos Inc., for a casino to be built in Kansas City.

-- Harrah's Maryland Heights Corp. and Players' Maryland Heights Inc., for a casino in west St. Louis County.

Commission officials said the Harrah's and Players' bids are a joint venture, but that separate investigations would be required.

Players has been operating a riverboat casino at Metropolis for more than two years, since February 1993, and is averaging about 5,000 visitors a day. The Metropolis operation also includes Players Hotel and Merv Griffin Theater, which holds various events.

Two other companies are already being investigated for consideration. Boyd Gaming Corp. and Hilton Corp. have started construction for casino operations, expected to open this summer. A ruling on the $116 million Boyd project is expected within the next month.

The selection of the new companies this week leaves an indefinite wait for a number of St. Louis area casino proposals and two Southeast Missouri projects.

The commission left open the possibility of adding others within the 18-month period.

Thomas Irwin, commission executive director, told the Associated Press the commission officials wanted to avoid over saturating the Missouri gambling market.

Since riverboat gambling was legalized in 1992, the commission has licensed six casinos...two in the Kansas City area and one each in St. Louis, St. Charles, St. Joseph and Caruthersville.

The Kansas City Station Casino project will be built on a 171-acre site on the Missouri River. The plan includes two floating gaming facilities, surrounded by a lagoon, a 200-room hotel, convention space, four full-service restaurants and five fast-food outlets.

Irwin said the joint venture in St. Louis County includes four dockside casinos of 22,800 square feet each, two for each company -- Players and Harrah's. It also includes a 300-room Harrah's hotel, which could be expanded later.

This is a formula already being used successfully by the St. Charles Casino.

The list of "waiting" proposals include projects at Laclede's Landing, Lemay, Kimmswick, St. Charles County, Cape Girardeau and Scott County.

Some of the companies have already applied for the licensing process, but other are still negotiating with local governments or looking for a site.

Boyd Gaming, headquartered in Las Vegas, is still negotiating for a site between 500 and 750 feet of the Broadway floodgate in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Boyd this week announced a delay in applying for a gaming permit at Cape Girardeau due to the lack of a site, which is necessary before applying.

Lady Luck Gaming Corp. found its site in Scott County only recently. The gaming company and the Little River Drainage District have agreed to lease a spot to moor a gambling boat in the district's Diversion Channel near Scott City. Lady Luck had previously signed its development agreement with Scott City. Lady Luck is also applying for a site at Kimmswick.