Gaming companies' cards are on the table, but predictions on startup dates for riverboat gambling in most areas of Missouri are still a gamble.

Lady Luck Gaming Inc. could start operations near Scott City late this year.

Boyd Gaming Corp. is hopeful of an early 1996 start at Cape Girardeau.

Of the three operators proposed for Southeast Missouri, Aztar Corp. has the most solid startup date. It hopes to open its doors in Caruthersville in April.

A lot of things must be done before a gambling riverboat starts plying the river.

The first legal loop companies must navigate is an operating permit from the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Of the three Southeast Missouri companies seeking a license, only one -- Aztar -- has applied for a gaming license for its Caruthersville site.

Boyd has applied for a gaming license, but the permit application is for a dockside operation in the Kansas City area. In early February, Boyd still had three loops to get through at Cape Girardeau -- a contract with the city, an agreement with the U.S. Corps of Engineers and an operating permit from the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Lady Luck, meanwhile, has cleared one hurdle, an agreement with Scott City, but has two loops to fill -- a site agreement with the Little River Drainage District for a site in the Diversion Channel, and an operating permit from the state.

Meanwhile, Michael J. Facenda, marketing manager for Casino Aztar, says the Caruthersville boat "will be ready to open" when the company receives approval from the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Construction continues on the Aztar land-based pavilion and landing operation, to be completed June 1. The riverboat, however, will operate from a temporary facility.

"We're hopeful that the Missouri Gaming Commission will complete its application process by April," Facenda said.

The gaming commission is reviewing riverboat casinos for Aztar and Boyd's Kansas City operation, and a gaming commission official said Feb. 3 that the process could be completed within 60 days.

The "City of Caruthersville" riverboat is undergoing some final preparations for its journey from Jeffersonville, Ind., Facenda said. The riverboat, which can hold about 600 people, will have 500 slot machines, 24 blackjack tables, two roulette wheels and two crap tables.

Aztar will employ 400 to 500 people.

Aztar's $50 million investment at Caruthersville includes the land-based facility, which will have two levels, a 40,000-square-foot pavilion to house boarding facilities, restaurant, sports bar and lounge, and a 1,000-car parking lot. Aztar estimates that 840,000 to 1.2 million people will visit the boat during its first year.

Lady Luck, which has proposed a three-phase, $65.3 million project in Scott City, which will include a gambling boat, hotel, entertainment center, outlet mall, 18-hole golf course, athletic complex with tennis courts and a community center and library, will also float from a temporary dock.

The company has projected it can have the gambling boat and parking areas off Nash Road near Interstate 55 completed within six months of the Missouri Gaming Commission's awarding a license. The company will employ up to 750 people when the complex is completed.

Lady Luck expects the entire project to be completed within 2 1/2 to three years, but hopes to have a riverboat in the water by year's end.

Boyd's "rough draft" proposal was reported 97 percent complete in mid-January.

"We're all on the same page," said Maunty Collins, a senior vice president and director of central region operations for Boyd.

Boyd is continuing its original plans for a $52.1 million riverboat casino operation here.

"We're going to do what we promised," Collins said. "We have committed more than a million dollars for sewer, water and street improvements involving our operations. Our engineers tell us it will take 10 months from start to finish."

The first matter is the development contract with the city.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said once the city received the draft proposal, officials would give it quick consideration.

Second, an agreement with the U.S. Corps of Engineers concerning the exact site along the Mississippi River must be obtained. Boyd representatives are continuing to meet with Corps officials.

Third, Boyd must obtain an operating permit from the Missouri Gaming Commission.

"We can't give you an exact date," Collins said, "but we should be operating by this time next year, hopefully sooner."