Lawmaker: Vets' clubs deserve part of gambling pie

"The biggest jump was in the St. Louis market, where the newest casino, Lamiere Place, saw a 43 percent increase in attendance and Ameristar's St. Charles casino had a 19 percent hike.

Meanwhile, just across the river in Illinois, statewide casino revenues in January were down 9.28 percent from January 2008 and attendance was down 6.78 percent. That includes a 14.96 percent drop in both revenues and attendance at Argosy's Alton Belle casino.

Troy Stremming, a vice president for Ameristar Casinos Inc., said Missouri's St. Louis market is thriving for several reasons, including quality of casinos, removal of the loss limit and Illinois' smoking ban."

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1029889.html