Argosy Sioux City: 2003-2014

Better get to Argosy Sioux City by 4:59 p.m. if you want to lay down one final bet. The casino will be closing permanently at 5 p.m., in Argosy Bellecompliance with an Iowa Supreme Court order. The Supremes declined to hear Penn National Gaming‘s appeal of an Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission edict that the casino — which was in noncompliance with a law requiring a local nonprofit partner — be closed. So the slot and roulette wheels will stop spinning, and the dice will no longer bounce across the green felt.

Penn is being pretty “george” to its employees, who will obtain $464,000 in bonuses and $1.7 million in severance pay: “Hourly workers employed for at least a year are eligible for one week’s pay for every year of service, penn-national-gamingup to 52 weeks, while salaried employees can receive two weeks’ pay for every year, according to the court documents.” Since the workforce is becoming unemployed because their workplace went out of business, they’ll also qualify for 39 weeks unemployment from the state. The top 10 “key employees” will split a pot of $286,635 in “close bonuses.” (What a concept: Close a business, collect a bonus!)

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City has also gotten into the act, advertising for “rock stars” to join its staff. They didn’t need to do that and it’s a gallant gesture. When all is said and done, Penn tried long and hard to keep its workforce employed and its casino in business. They fought the good fight and came out on the losing end. It’s a sad day.

Foxwoods PhillySpeaking of being “george,” the law firm of Cozen O’Connor is suing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on behalf of Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners (aka Sniderkatz), even though the latter owes the firm an unsecured $6.5 million. Even if PEDP wins its suit it’s hard to see how the lawyers get paid. Sniderkatz owes $55 million just to one lender, has $24 million in unsecured debt and is suing for the return of a $50 million license fee. That doesn’t even begin to make ends meet. Cozen O’Connor’s generosity is laudable.

It was a good day for free speech in Texas. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a section of the Texas Bingo Enabling Act that forbade charitable bingo operators from lobbying the Lege. In a patently unfair law, horse and dog tracks could put the elbow on Austin but gaming nonprofits couldn’t. The toppling of the 30-plus-year-old statute is a victory for a coalition of tribal groups, VFW posts and Elks lodges. Party on, guys.

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