Isle of Capri casino opens in Cape Girardeau - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Isle of Capri casino opens in Cape Girardeau

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The grand opening begins at 10:30 a.m. The grand opening begins at 10:30 a.m.
Patrons wait outside Isle of Capri before the opening. (Source: Tim Ingram) Patrons wait outside Isle of Capri before the opening. (Source: Tim Ingram)
Patrons fill the Isle of Capri casino at the grand opening. (Source: Tim Ingram) Patrons fill the Isle of Capri casino at the grand opening. (Source: Tim Ingram)
Patrons wait outside Isle of Capri before the opening. (Source: Tyler Profilet) Patrons wait outside Isle of Capri before the opening. (Source: Tyler Profilet)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) -

The Isle of Capri casino opens its doors in Cape Girardeau, Mo. on Tuesday.

The grand opening began at 10:30 a.m.

That's when the Isle of Capri received its gambling license from the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Hundreds of people were already in line when the doors opened.  Within an hour of opening, nearly every seat at the slots and tables were full.

"It's so nice not to have to drive to Metropolis or Caruthersville," said Franchon Anderson of Cape Girardeau.

It's the 13th casino in the state of Missouri and the third in the Heartland, joining Harrah's Casino in Metropolis and Lady Luck in Caruthersville.

Isle General Manager Chet Koch says he expects to hit the ground running today.

Inside the casino, there are almost 1,000 slot machines and dozens of live games from roulette to live poker.

A lot of local people are manning the tables. Officials say they got 9,000 applications and selected 725 of the best to be on staff.

"I think it's going to be good for the city," said Brenda Hurt of Mayfield. "It will give people employment who haven't had it."

About a third of those will work in one of the casino's five restaurants, including a steak house and sports bar type atmosphere.

They also have the farmer's pick buffet where products from local growers will be featured.

From start to finish, it's taken about three years to get this casino to Cape Girardeau.

  • In June of 2010, one of Missouri's gaming licenses became available when the President Casino in St. Louis shut down.
  • In August 2010, after hearing ideas from several companies the cape city council chose Isle of Capri as the one to develop a downtown casino.
  • In November 2010, Cape Girardeau voters approved casino gambling.
  • Then less than a month later, the Missouri Gaming Commission voted to give "preferred developer status" to Isle of Capri.
  • Workers broke ground on Cape's new casino in March of 2011.

Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.

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  • Isle of Capri casino opens Tuesday in Cape Girardeau
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