Land-based casino and hotel in Riverside, Missouri, opened June 22, 1994 as Kansas City’s first riverboat casino; now operated by Penn Entertainment on a permanent land-based pavilion alongside the Missouri River.
History
Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment on November 3, 1992, authorizing riverboat gambling on the state’s navigable waterways — the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The enabling legislation followed in April 1993, when the General Assembly established the Missouri Gaming Commission to license and regulate operators. The original rules required boats to conduct simulated excursion cruises even when docked, and imposed a $500 per-excursion loss limit on patrons; voters eliminated the loss limit in November 1994.
The Argosy V, as the vessel was formally designated, launched on June 22, 1994, making it the first riverboat casino to open in the Kansas City market. It was owned and operated by Argosy Gaming Company, an Indiana-based casino group that held licenses in multiple Midwest states. The boat moored on the Missouri River at Riverside, a small city directly north of Kansas City proper.
In 1996 Argosy constructed a land-based pavilion at the site to house restaurants, bars, and a parking garage, giving the property a permanent shore-side presence. A major transformation came in 2003 with a $105 million Mediterranean village-themed renovation that doubled the gaming floor to 62,000 square feet, installed 1,700 coinless slot machines, added 40 table games, and outfitted the interior with plasma screen televisions throughout. The American Gaming Association recognized the project with a best architectural redesign award in 2005.
In November 2004, Penn National Gaming agreed to acquire Argosy Gaming Company. Stockholders approved the deal in January 2005, and Penn National completed the acquisition on October 3, 2005, for approximately $2.2 billion including assumed debt. Penn National retained the Riverside property — one of the more productive in the Argosy portfolio — while divesting several other acquired locations.
A hotel and day spa component was announced in June 2004 and broke ground in June 2005, adding a nine-story, 258-room tower to the campus. Penn National later rebranded its corporate identity as Penn Entertainment, under which the Riverside property continues to operate.
The casino
The Argosy occupies a 62,000-square-foot gaming floor with approximately 1,500 slot machines and 37 table games. The adjacent 258-room hotel includes a full-service day spa, a fitness center, and a business center. The property offers several dining outlets and approximately 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Though its origins are as a riverboat casino, the gaming operation is now conducted entirely within the land-based pavilion; the Missouri River remains visible from the property but is no longer part of the gaming footprint.
See also
- The KS.City Wiki
- north-kansas-city
- the-northland