The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Business

Discussion

August 3, 2012

Bankrupt owner to sell casinos to Oklahoma tribe

From The Associated Press

VICKSBURG, Miss. — The owner of casinos in Vicksburg, Miss. and Bossier City, La., has filed for bankruptcy and plans to sell its casinos to an Oklahoma Indian tribe.

Legends Gaming filed Monday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in Shreveport, La. The company plans to sell its DiamondJacks casinos to Global Gaming Solutions for $125 million, said Kym Koch, a spokeswoman for Global Gaming.

The bankruptcy court and state gaming regulators must approve. Legends has the right under the sale agreement to seek buyers willing to pay more. If multiple bidders emerge, the bankruptcy court could hold an auction.

Global Gaming is owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. The company bought Remington Park Racing and Casino in Oklahoma City in 2010 and bought Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 2011. The tribe also owns 13 casinos in Oklahoma’s highly competitive Indian casino market.

Though tribes in Louisiana and Mississippi operate casinos outside the state regulatory structure, officials said Global Gaming would be regulated and taxed just like any other non-Indian casino owner.

“They would be subject to the oversight of the State of Mississippi just like DiamondJacks is (now) and all the tax liabilities would be the same,” Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, told the Vicksburg Post.

Louisiana officials told The Times in Shreveport that Global Gaming would face a background investigation like any new casino owner in the state.

In its bankruptcy filing, Legends listed assets between $50 million and $100 million and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million. Moody’s Investors Service said Legends has as much as $163 million in debt due in 2014.

Legends, which also filed for bankruptcy in 2008 said no workers will be laid off and that the casinos will continue to operate as usual.

“Our team members are essential to our future success, and should see no difference in their jobs,” Legends Chairman and CEO William McEnery said in a statement. “We believe that we have found a buyer who will continue DiamondJacks’ commitments to the communities in which we operate as well as to its most valued asset, our team members.”

DiamondJacks is typically last among Bossier City’s five casinos in terms of revenue, according to Louisiana state figures. Mississippi doesn’t release revenue figures for individual casinos, but DiamondJacks has the second-largest number of slot machines among Vicksburg’s four casinos. A fifth Vicksburg casino, Grand Station, closed in March amid its own bankruptcy.

DiamondJacks employs 364 people at its casino and hotel in Vicksburg, according to Mississippi figures. It employs about 650 people in Bossier City, according to Louisiana figures.

Both properties were the first casino in their respective cities when opened by the Isle of Capri. Vicksburg opened in 1993 while Bossier City opened in 1994. Isle of Capri sold the gambling halls to privately-held legends in 2006. Legends first filed bankruptcy in 2008 to lower interest rates on $215 million in borrowed to finance the purchases.

 

Text Only
Business
  • Business Stocks head lower, market on track for weekly loss

    The stock market headed slightly lower Friday, keeping on track for its first weekly loss in a month.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo

  • Summer travel forecast: Better, but no blowout

    This summer, high rollers are flying to lavish hot spots for their vacations. The rest of us are driving to less luxurious places like nearby campgrounds.

    May 24, 2013

  • Schumer urges look at security in Sprint deal

    Sen. Charles Schumer urged regulators to “use extreme caution” when reviewing the proposed acquisition of No. 3 cell carrier Sprint Nextel by Japan’s Softbank, saying the Japanese company’s use of Chinese networking equipment could open up U.S. networks to snooping and hacking.

    May 24, 2013

  • Kid Rock, Rolling Stones on scalping, summer tours

    Kid Rock is a scalper. The 42-year-old Grammy winner, who is launching a summer tour where most tickets are priced at $20, said he’s holding about 1,000 tickets from each show and reselling them on ticketsnow.com — owned by Ticketmaster — to make up for the cheaper regular price he’s offering.

    May 24, 2013

  • US rig count down 7 to 1,762

    Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. dropped by seven this week to 1,762.

    May 24, 2013

  • West Virginia joins fight to EPA greenhouse gas rules

    West Virginia’s governor and attorney general are joining two other states that are seeking to challenge federal environmental rules on greenhouse gas emissions.

    May 24, 2013

  • Why worry? Less aid by Fed would point to recovery

    Investors have grown nervous that the Federal Reserve will scale back its efforts to boost the U.S. economy sooner than many expected.

    May 24, 2013

  • Sears reports bigger-than-expected 1Q loss

    Sears Holdings Corp. reported a steeper-than-expected loss for its first quarter with the beleaguered retailer blaming a cooler spring for falling sales.

    May 24, 2013

  • Procter & Gamble brings back A.G. Lafley as CEO

    Procter & Gamble Co. is bringing back its former CEO, as the world’s largest consumer-products maker tries to spur global growth.

    May 24, 2013

  • Business Asia stocks extend losses after big sell-off

    Asian stocks continued to retreat Friday after being routed the day before by unexpectedly weak Chinese manufacturing and fears the Federal Reserve will start withdrawing its monetary stimulus.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo