How little engines, masochists, and penguins relate to casino gambling in Rockaway Beach?

In a move reminiscent of the “I think I can, I think I can” attitude of the little steam engine from the classic children’s story, “The Little Engine That Could,” Rockaway Beach just keeps chugging up the mountain, against seemingly insurmountable odds, on its quest to achieve its economic development dream of bringing casino gambling to its city. Recently it was announced that Rockaway Beach has received a proposal for a $144 million dollar casino project and that it will keep on chugging.

In a column entitled “What are the odds of casino gambling ever coming to Rockaway Beach?,” published on Mar. 19, the Ole Seagull said, “…that without substantial financial assistance from outside sources Rockaway Beach simply cannot mount another credible campaign to bring casino gambling to its city.” He asked, “In view of what happened last time and the fact that the resistance from Branson and other casino gambling destinations will not go away, what are the odds that Rockaway Beach can get the financial support it needs to try again?”

Actually, it was a little worse than that because he answered his rhetorical question by saying, “The odds of success are ‘too much to one,’ and only a masochist would put money into such an effort without having at least the support of Branson’s city government and Branson’s local movers and shakers.” The proposal Rockaway Beach received is from Barden Development Inc., a privately held company out of Detroit, Michigan. It operates a number of other casinos in Las Vegas, Gary, Indiana, Tunica, and Black Hawk, Colorado and is owned by Mr. Don Barden who, research indicates, is certainly no masochist when it comes to business decisions.

An article entitled, “Detroit casino firm enters city slots race” appearing in the Dec. 5, 2005 edition of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reported that “Mr. Barden’s casinos employ more than 4,300 and generate more than $500 million a year in revenues.” It continued, “Barden Companies is one of the largest African-American owned businesses in the United States” and went on to report the company’s, then recent, $253 million purchase of the Trump Casino in Gary, Indiana, and the firms $300-$350 million attempt to get the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s one slot license.

Unfortunately for Mr. Barden, but perhaps fortunately for Rockaway Beach, it seems that the Pittsburgh project has turned into a three way horse race for the sole Pittsburgh slot license based, not on factors relating to the gambling or casino operations, but which of the three firms trying to get the license will do the most for building the Pittsburg Penguins a new arena. Wow, the Ole Seagull thought that only happened in the city of Branson, where the location of its new convention center was based, not on factors relating to what would be the best for Branson’s existing businesses, shows, and attractions or its millions of visitors, but on getting State of Missouri TIF funds and building the new Branson Landing retail and entertainment complex.

On Jun. 2, the Pittsburgh Business Journal reported that, “The Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force said it is ‘not satisfied’ with the three applicants for the city’s slots license.” It pointed out that the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force, in its report to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which is expected to make a final decision on the Pittsburgh slot license by the end of 2006, said that dissatisfaction was based on the proposals “inadequacies in or failure to address several areas such as–but not limited to–traffic, the design of the facility, and the mitigation of the negative social impact of gaming.”

According to the article, out of the major categories that the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force rated, financial, site, traffic, commitment to a new arena and diversity the Barden group, graded best only in the diversity category. But, with Pittsburgh’s apparent propensity for mixing Penguins and a new stadium for them with the casino slot license and the fact that one of the other two proposals has the endorsement of the Penguins, that is not surprising.

If they are unsuccessful in Pittsburgh that would be Pittsburgh’s loss and could be Rockaway Beach’s gain. Penguins and their arena aside, the Barden group appears to be on a tear in acquiring and running casinos. At least on the surface, it would provide the opportunity for the Barden group to concentrate its considerable resources and talents on the Rockaway Beach project without the dilution that a project the size of the Pittsburgh project could have.

Couple that with the factor that they rated best in the diversity category in Pittsburgh and you can see why the “Little Rockaway Beach Casino Engine” just might keep chugging along saying, “I think I can, I think I can, ….