MERCHANTS GROUP GIVES ENDORSEMENT TO GAMBLING ISSUE

The Cape Girardeau Downtown Merchants Association Board of Directors voted Tuesday to endorse the riverboat gaming issue.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the board endorsed the measure "based on the positive economic benefits" riverboat gambling would bring to Cape Girardeau.

Although the vote was heavily in favor of the motion, some board members abstained from voting.

Cape Girardeau voters June 8 will decide whether to approve riverboat gambling here. A gaming company, The Boyd Group of Las Vegas, has proposed bringing a riverboat casino to the city and two other gaming companies have contacted city officials about making similar proposals.