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The Riverside Casino and Golf Resort will open to the public Thursday, August 31 with the featured headline entertainer being Ottumwa native Tom Arnold.
General Manager Joe Massa, officially announced the opening date during a press conference at the Casino on Monday, July 31, unveiling the casino's first television ads.
Massa announced that 170 people were already on staff and another 110 people were going through orientation this week. By the time the casino opens, there will be 850 people employed. Others have been hired and will soon go through orientation. There are only l00 jobs to be filled and opening date will see those filled. He said the training will be on-going. Dealers have been going through training for several weeks.
"About forty-five percent of our employees are from Washington County with the rest coming from adjoining counties in eastern Iowa," Massa said.
Massa said the casino would feature 1,181 slot machines, 24 gaming tables, 15 poker tables, several bars and restaurants. The casino, including office, entertainment hall and restaurants, is 350,000 sq. ft. He said the casino facility was about 95% complete and that significant progress could be seen each day. Yet to be completed is the spa, indoor/outdoor swimming pool and a gift boutique in that area, plus the employee wellness facility. Massa noted that the casino floor would not be smoke free; but the high tech ventilation system would circulate 158,000 cubic feet of air a minute, which would greatly reduce smoke.
The entertainment/convention center will have seating for about 1,100 people. First entertainer will be Tom Arnold, with NBC-TV late night host Jay Leno appearing two weeks later. Other top line entertainment will be featured in the larger entertainment facility on a regular basis. A show bar will feature area entertainers on a daily basis.
There will be two gift shops with at least one of them featuring works of local artists and artisans plus tourism information on other area attractions and communities.
Massa said all the rooms in the 200-room hotel would have views of the golf course, which is projected to be completed in May of 2007.
He projected about 75% of the casino's trade area will be within an hour's drive. However, the casino plans on marketing in neighboring states and cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, etc.
Adam Richards of Riverside Travel Mart (and a member of the Washington County Riverboat Foundation) spoke on behalf of the Riverside community saying the community was very pleased to welcome the casino.
"We are very happy to have the casino in our community," Richards stated, noting that his firm has had very positive experiences with the casino personnel and construction workers.
Tony Baxter, president of Fort Madison-based Tony Baxter Construction and construction manager on the project, spoke highly of the 65 subcontractors many of which were from the local area. He noted architects have had a hard time keeping up with the construction over the past 13 months.
The television commercials unveiled Monday featured CEO Dan Kehl saying with less than a month to go to opening, the casino is already getting rave reviews. The commercial also featured cconstruction workers from Lone Tree, Riverside and Kalona. |
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