Two companies have applied with the state of Missouri to open a casino in Sugar Creek.
Tuesday was the deadline for companies to submit applications for Missouri’s lone available casino license.
Five companies applied, with two different companies wanting to get a license to operate a proposed casino in Sugar Creek.
The companies that want to build a Sugar Creek casino are Sunway Gaming LLC and Epic Gaming LLC.
Sugar Creek’s casino would be a project of more than $100 million on 200 acres east of Missouri 291. It would also be a resort.
The other three companies that applied and proposed locations were Casino Celebration LLC in St. Louis, North County Development LLC in Spanish Lake, and Isle of Capri, Cape Girardeau LLC in Cape Girardeau.
The Missouri Gaming Commission now will hold public hearings, and review comprehensive studies before announcing a “priority investigation.”
Whichever company gets the “investigation” is the winner because the commission cannot issue a license until the casino is ready for business, according to commission spokeswoman LeAnn McCarthy. The commission would like to name a winner by the year’s end.
