Brief: Jackpot deal may lead to sale of Mo. casino

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Fred Faust reported that Jackpot's plan to buy Players includes Players' interest in the Riverport casino complex in St. Louis. Harrah's and Players each have their own casinos at Riverport, while Harrah's manages jointly owned properties like the 291-room hotel.

Quoting a Las Vegas gaming industry source, Faust wrote that Las Vegas-based Jackpot could sell Players' interest in the Riverport venture and use the proceeds to eliminate debt Jackpot would take on with the Players deal.

The columnist said most of Players' $160 million in debt is on Riverport.

An acquisition would eliminate a competitor and give Harrah's maximum flexibility in scheduling riverboat casino boarding times and positioning slots and tables, Faust wrote. An acquisition would give Harrah's 120,000 square feet of casino space, with about 3,100 slot machines and 100 table games.

The combined operation generated January gaming revenue of $16.4 million on 774,000 admissions, Faust reported.

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