Queen Mary casino? LBC needs money; that translates as Long Beach, CA is financially strapped. So, of course, a casino is just the cure. Or is it? Right now, developers are saying no, but one these things have a way of going the other way. From the LA Times (reg.) : The company that operates the Queen Mary for the city of Long Beach said Monday that it wants to sell 75% interest in the vessel to a Las Vegas-registered limited partnership. Although some civic activists have speculated for months that the financially strapped city might allow the historic ship to be turned into a casino, Joe Prevratil, president and chief executive of Queen's Seaport Development, which leases the ship from the city, said the prospective majority owners would not turn the vessel into a gambling enterprise. Bandero LLC has a Nevada address, but its principals have Southern California offices. The partnership has discussed building a marina, a high-end hotel, an international retail center and a time-share complex next to the ship, Prevratil said. Also, Long Beach would not allow gaming aboard the ship, and under its lease may reject the proposed new owners, City Atty. Robert Shannon said. Vegas Partnership Seeks 75% Interest in Queen Mary I know that everyone is saying that there won't be gaming on the ship, but I have a plan in mind that makes perfect karmic sense: Let Long Beach authorize offshore casino ships. Many of the Las Vegas operators of the 1940s, including Stardust originator Tony Cornerno, originally ran offshore gambling boats before Gov. Earl Warren and LA Mayor Fletcher Bowron cracked down on them in the early 1940s. With California posied to become the gaming capital of the US, this makes perfect sense. I've said it before, but someday people might live in Nevada for the friendly business climate and vacation (and gamble) in California--a reversal of the process that created the Las Vegas Strip in the early 1950s. It's just a thought.

Source: Casino [ptz]