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Council Bluffs gaming boat to be retired/ New casino waits to open

News

May 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A riverboat casino in Council Bluffs is about to be retired, and replaced with a new, indoor casino. The Daily NonPareil reports all of the gaming operations on-board the “Kanesville Queen” riverboat owned by Harrah’s Council Bluffs Casino and Hotel will be removed from the 18-year old boat and taken into a new, 25-thousand square foot, one-level area, where Harrah’s convention rooms were located. The  move has been five-years in the making, according to Senior Vice President and General Manager, Bo Guidry. A change in Iowa law means casinos are no longer required to be on boats, which are expensive to maintain. Guidry said the company expects to save $2-million per year once the vessel is retired and closed at 4-a.m., June 3rd.

The new casino, which is set to hold its grand opening June 8th,  will offer 600 slot machines, including 200 new games and 100 video poker machines. There will be 18 table games featuring customer favorites like blackjack, craps and roulette. Forty-seven high-definition televisions will be installed on the walls around the room, as well.

Guidry told the paper that none of the nearly 500 employees at the casino/hotel will lose their jobs as a result of the move. An estimated 130 construction workers will be employed for the $10-million dollar project is underway.