Foot traffic in Missouri casinos was up 3%, as customers spent 4% more than last year, leading to an 8% increase in casino revenue. Both Pinnacle Entertainment and Penn 
National Gaming came in comfortably above Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli‘s projections for the month. Pinnacle’s River City grossed $19 million (+12%), while its Ameristar St. Charles property hauled in $22 million (+2%). To the west, Ameristar Kansas City grossed $17 million (+9%). Penn brought in $19 million (+5%) at Hollywood Casino St. Louis and, in Kansas City, $13 million from Argosy Riverside for a 15% gain.
It was a good month for everybody in the Show-Me State, with not one casino posting a revenue-negative month. The Isle of Capri Casinos quartet fared well, including a 4% uptick (to $7 million) in Kansas City and a 21% leap at its Lady Luck property in Caruthersville. Its Cape Girardeau casino was up 9%, to $6 million, while Isle grew business 10%, to $7 million, in Boonville. Not to be lost in all the good news was a 4% bump (to $14 million) at Harrah’s North Kansas City, while Tropicana Entertainment appears to have turned the corner at Lumiere Place, up 7%, to $12 million.
* Trump International will be facing a National Labor Relations Board complaint that it basically bribed workers to cease supporting the Culinary Union‘s efforts to organize workers at the Las Vegas Strip hotel. Specifically, the complaint alleges the offer by a Trump consultant of “job opportunities to transfer to different positions” to 
potential defectors. In addition to accusing Trump of “has been interfering with, restraining and coercing” the complaint furthermore alleges that employees were either fired or denied transfers on the grounds that they “formed, joined and assisted the union and engaged in concerted activities.”
As might be expect, Trump International responded that the complaint consisted of “baseless allegations” and was “completely without merit.” In a rerun of events at Trump’s former Atlantic City properties, employees voted for union representation and management ignored the outcome, contending that the election was unfair. (Sounds like a certain presidential candidate we know.) William S. Boyd School of Law professor Ruben Garcia told the Las Vegas Sun that the April 12 hearing is a benchmark for the Culinary Union: “That doesn’t mean, of course, that the Trump is guilty at this point, but they have gotten a little further than simply saying ‘we alleged all these things happened, and we’re gonna have a factual hearing.’”
* A proposed state takeover of Atlantic City — unpopular within the state — inspired a spirited protest earlier today, requiring the intervention of state troopers. Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian 
(R) continues to distance himself from the coup d’etat, saying, “It deprives the residents of Atlantic City of even the most modest elements of self-government” and that it would create a “fascist dictatorship.” However, Guardian may not have much choice. The city is two weeks from bankruptcy and any aid from the state is contingent on the takeover bill and the PILOT plan that would give casinos fixed-rate payments to the city in lieu of property taxes. The former is a sweeping measure that would give New Jersey authority “break contracts, dissolve agencies and sell off city assets and land.” Those provisions — specifically the contract-abrogation one — don’t sit well with Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D) and he’s not scheduling a vote in the state House of Representatives until he gets a bill more to his liking.
