“I want everybody in this room to understand just how important the casino is to this community,” said Ward 1 representative Dan Presson at Monday night’s city council meeting. "The Casino is a great, centrally located, walkable place of employment. Everyday on my drive to and from work I see people walking from the neighborhood to the casino as their place of employment.”
The Century Casino, originally Isle Casino, opened in Downtown Cape Girardeau over a decade ago as Missouri's 13th and final facility.
Presson explained the Casino has drastically changed the physical and economical landscape of Cape Girardeau.
“If you look at old maps, the casino changed streets and removed buildings, so it has made a huge impact on Cape Girardeau physically, but then economically it has brought people to this community,” said Presson. “It has provided people with a lot of jobs and it only continues to do so. It continues to act as a reason why a person comes to this community and acts as a reason why somebody comes downtown.”
On Monday, the Cape Girardeau City Council approved the amended development plan for the $26-million project.
The hotel, which will be directly connected to the casino, is projected to have 75-80 rooms. According to the development plan, the casino's steakhouse, which has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic, is expected to become the hotel's lobby.
Presson says the addition of the new hotel will not only continue to provide opportunities for the community in the same way the casino did when it first opened, but additionally, it will also continue to grow Cape Girardeau’s visibility as a travel destination.
“By adding a 75 to 80 bed hotel, It adds to the employment opportunities that are going to be available to citizens in the community and also within the ward one area So in addition to having the gaming services and the food services and everything else now there will be a whole slate of hospitality services that will also be provided,” said Presson. “It'll be really fun because Cape Girardeau will have a river view hotel, and so we'll probably get people from all over the country.”
On the hotel's continuation of the district’s growth, Century Casino General Manager Lyle Randolph stated, "This hotel project will bring another substantial amenity to Cape Girardeau. I hope that the prospect of thousands of additional overnight visitors will spur even more development in the downtown area and promote additional reinvestment in our unique riverfront community."