A major step has been taken by four companies hoping to capture the final casino license available in Missouri. The Missouri Gaming Commission has dropped a fifth proposal from contention.

Four companies remain in the running for the last remaining casino license. One has dropped out.

“We deemed the application from Sunway Gaming to be incomplete,” says LeAnn McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the Gaming Commission.

Sunway applied to locate a casino in Sugar Creek. McCarthy says the four remaining applicants are North County Development of Wood River, Illinois which proposes to locate a casino in St. Louis County. Casino Celebration of St. Louis proposes a St. Louis casino. Paragon Gaming Missouri of Las Vegas proposes to locate a casino in Sugar Creek. The Isle of Capri wants to locate a casino in Cape Girardeau.

The Gaming Commission has released the public disclosure forms for the four finalists. Public hearings have been tentatively scheduled for later this month. Under the tentative schedule, the Gaming Commission will hold a public hearing in Cape Girardeau Monday, September 27th. It would travel to St. Louis the next day for a public hearing on Tuesday, September 28th. A final public hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th. Times and locations have yet to be released.

McCarthy says both those in favor and those against the proposals are invited to attend and voice their opinions.

“The commissioners wanted this process to be open and transparent,” according to McCarthy. “Our chairman, James Mathewson, wanted to have these public hearings so both the proponents and opponents of riverboat gaming casinos could come out and share their thoughts with us on the proposals.”

McCarthy says the commission is in the fact-finding mode at present. A major piece of that effort has yet to be compiled. The State Economic Development Department is conducting comprehensive market analyses of the proposals from the four finalists.

Isle of Capri public disclosure form

North County Development public disclosure form

Paragon Gaming Missouri public disclosure form

Casino Celebration public disclosure form

AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [1:10 MP3]