Nebraska has once again shut down any possibility of loosening gambling restrictions. Interesting article by the Associated Press. Read it at Kansas City.com

Tim Bryant of the St.Louis Post Dispatch writes about a potential fine for Pinnacle. Read it here.

Executive Director Mike Winter submitted a letter to the St.Louis Post Dispatch-

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 ~ Updated 3:51 PM

Effective January 2, 2012, Chet Koch will serve as the vice president and general manager of Isle Casino Cape Girardeau.
(Laura Simon)

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As Isle of Capri gets ready to hire nearly 500 people to staff its new Cape Girardeau casino, the company wants potential job applicants to know about their hiring process.

Isle Cape Girardeau General Manager Chet Koch told the Cape Girardeau Lions Club on Wednesday about the types of positions the new casino will offer and Missouri Gaming Commission's employee licensing regulations. Koch is speaking to several community groups this month about working at the new casino.

The timeline for hiring is still under development, Koch said, but the casino is still on schedule to open before the end of the year. Last week the company started its hiring process by internally posting its job openings for department director positions at its Cape Girardeau site.

Jobs will be advertised in families of similar occupations. Groups of applicants will be brought in before a panel of interviewers. They'll also be required to do "courtesy auditions" to act out how they would handle certain situations that may occur in the casino, Koch said.

"We're looking for someone who has the personality to be great in a crowd," he said.

Every employee, whether they're a dishwasher or a blackjack dealer, must have an occupational license granted by the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Most positions, such as a slot machine technician, a cashier or a waitress, require a level two occupational license for which the potential employee must complete a 30-page application.

These licenses are important to ensure the integrity of the gambling industry in Missouri, said Clarence Greeno, assistant deputy director of the Missouri Gaming Commission.

"The people of the state of Missouri have a vested interest in knowing the individuals operating these games and working in the casinos are of a moral character that gives them confidence that things are being handled properly," Greeno said.

The license approval process includes a background check by Missouri State Highway Patrol officers as well as a look at the potential employee's criminal background, credit, financial and tax records, he said.

These forms are submitted to the casino's human resources department and then the information is forwarded to the gaming commission.

"If you've ever sat in the back of a police car for any reason other than work, you probably won't get a license," Koch said. "That's how strict Missouri is at providing for the integrity of gaming."

Look for more on this story later at www.semissourian.com and in Thursday's Southeast Missourian,

Kathy Sweeney of KFVS-12 TV reports on what type of person Isle of Capri intends on hiring at their new facility.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) –

If you're hoping to land a job at Cape Girardeau's new casino, get in line.

"We'll get upwards of probably about five thousand applications I would assume," says Isle of Capri's Cape Casino General Manager Chet Koch.

That's five thousand applications for 500 jobs.

Koch says some people are even showing up at the construction site in suits, with resume in hand.

But, what will it take to be one of that ten percent?

"I'm just excited to be in the Cape. I'm setting up my apartment," Koch tells me with a smile.

It's clear Koch is a happy guy, and he says he's looking for others just like him to staff Cape's multi-million dollar riverfront casino.

"We are really looking for people who are happy, naturally great to get up in the morning. They want to take on life and that's the type of person we're looking for," he tells me.

Koch says in the next few months, Isle will begin conducting panel interviews, moving waves of people through the first step in what he calls a very unusual process.

"Every employee that works inside the casino actually also has to work under a privilege license. So, unlike any other job, you have to have the privilege to work in the casino, granted by the state of Missouri," he explains.

A new aerial shot of the project shows about 20 percent of the structure's steel beams in place. The man in charge of designing and building Cape's casino tells me he'll have the rest of this steel up by the end of February, and that's when this huge, floating structure will really take shape.

"That will be followed by the steel panels that are enclosing the building, and they'll be going up starting the end of this month. And then you'll see it very quickly close in and we'll be at the point at that time where the building will become water tight and we can start working on the interior finishes," Dick Meister tells me.

Back on the ground, Chet Koch says he isn't upset that eager job hunters are looking for a finished door to knock on.

"It's fantastic. The excitement here in the Cape, it's unbelievable how much support we've received already," Koch says.

Chet Koch says there will be plenty of warning before the interview process begins.

As for the building itself, it's still on track for completion by the end of this year

Mike Hendricks of the Kansas City Star writes an interesting article on illegal machines in Missouri and Kansas. Read it here.

The Isle of Capri- Boonville is celebrating it's 10th anniversary. Jacob Barker of the Columbia Daily Tribune writes the story. Read it here.

The DAP rules changes have been approved by the Missouri Gaming Commission. This is now in the State’s rule making process, and these changes will not become effective until the end of March of next year. (3/30/2012). At that time you can call the Commission regarding your inquiries as to the length of time you have been on the DAP list, and for the procedures to remove yourself if you have been on the list for five years or longer.

Read an interesting opinion piece on the DAP list in the St.Joseph News Press.