The Missouri Gaming Commission will hold a hearing later this month on eliminating the state's restrictive casino boarding times. The commission announced last week that it would hold a public hearing on the boarding-time issue April 27 in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights. Commission officials said another hearing would be held in May in Kansas City.

Because of passenger and vessel safety concerns, riverboat casinos no longer cruise the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. But under commission regulations, boarding times have remained tied to cruise schedules.

Under the rules, gamblers may board for the first 45 minutes of each two-hour "cruise." Once gamblers leave the casino floor, they may not re-enter during that two-hour session.