State hopes new casino owner possible soon

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Gaming Commission has been running a southeast Missouri casino for nearly two months now, but it hopes a new owner can be finalized soon.

The commission generally regulates Missouri's gambling boats. But it voted in November to take over the Casino Aztar in Caruthersville until a new owner can be found.

Commission director Gene McNary defends the unusual move, saying it was needed to save 300 jobs and $6 million in fees and taxes the casino pays.

Caruthersville also suffered when a tornado ripped through town last spring.

The casino's owner was sold to another company, Columbia Sussex Corp. of Fort Mitchell, Ky. But that company could not find and license a buyer for the Caruthersville boat acceptable to the commission by a Nov. 19 deadline. So the commission appointed the state's gaming enforcement manager to run the casino for up to nine months.

"We're doing oversight. They have managers down there to know what they're doing," McNary told a legislative gambling committee Tuesday.

The Gaming Commission didn't actually begin overseeing the casino until early January, after the sale was finalized.

Tuesday, McNary said a new buyer could be selected several months sooner than the nine-month window. He said several companies submitted proposals by a Jan. 31 deadline to buy the gambling boat, and negotiations are under way. McNary would not identify the companies but said there are several suitable options.

Attorney General Jay Nixon has criticized the commission's decision to run the casino, saying it conflicts with its regulatory duties.