St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 90

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1994 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 7BP FRED FAUST MINDING BUSINESS Price Of Heaven Rises For Cigar Lovers To $200 one of the key figures in the early days of the Alton Belle, is preparing for new casino ventures in two states. As we reported last spring, his Vision Gaming Inc. will buy subject to the approval of Colorado regulators an existing casino in Cripple Creek. That's one of the three old gold-mining towns where Colorado permits limited-stakes gambling.

Zamler, founder and chairman of Zam's Inc. In a suit filed last week in St. Louis County Circuit Court, Mercedes-Benz states that Zamler broke the lease in April and refuses to return the car. Zamler could not be reached for He leased the used Mercedes in August 1991 for 60 months, at $741.38 a month. The dealer was Plaza Motor Co.

The suit, filed by Mark Brit-' felt An investigator from Colorado was in St. Louis recently to complete work on Vision's background check. Connors hopes to take over the casino, which will be renamed Crapper Jack's, by the end of September. Meanwhile, Vision is working on what could become a major development in Henderson, a fast-growing suburb of Las Vegas. Vision is completing construction of a casino that was started by another tingham of Casserly, Jones Brittingham, says the car is now worth $23,225.

Zam's is a publicly traded chain of stores that sell party goods, including liquor. The company lost $1.74 million in the first six months of this year. Zamler sold about $450,000 of his Zam's stock in the last quarter of 1993, according to CDAInvest- ployees from gambling at their own casinos. Right now, if you want to play poker, you either play at the Admiral or drive to Davenport, Iowa, or Tunica, Miss. Casino St.

Charles officials say they will add poker if they're allowed to have gaming on the second deck of their permanently moored entertainment barge. They don't currently offer live poker on their cruises, partly because of space and partly because they think poker works best at a non-cruising facility. If permission for dockside gambling is granted, the Casino St. Charles may also deal Pai Gow Poker, a variation of a popular Chinese game. In an effort to add variety to the table-game menu, Casino St.

Charles already has started dealing Multiple Action Blackjack and Double-Down Stud. This week, it hopes to offer Caribbean Stud Poker. All three of these games are proprietary, which means" that the casino must pay a monthly license fee to the companies that invented the games. Adrian Caldwell, director of casino operations at St. Charles, said Caribbean Stud is particularly popular because it offers a side bet on a progressive jackpot that starts at $10,000.

A SURE BET: Station Casinos recently announced that McNabbDeSotoSalter Co. would be its public relations agency. McNabbDeSoto already has been doing the advertising work for Station for two years. The competition for the PR assignment couldn't have been too tough. Frank Fertitta III, Station's chief executive officer, and his brother, sister and brother-in-law collectively own 50 percent of McNabbDeSoto.

The firm started in Houston in 1980. The Fertitta family bought its stake in July 1992. During the last nine months of 1993, Station gave McNabbDeSoto $4.4 million worth of work, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Clayton is ready to do it again. Cigar Smoker III will be held Thursday, Nov.

3. This time the theme is An Olde English Smoker. The reception area will resemble a library. All guests maximum seating is 85 will sit at one large, oval table in the center of the room. The attendance prize will be an authentic smoking jacket.

Black tie is requested. Now for the bad news: The price, which includes fine cigars, a gourmet five-course dinner and all drinks, has been increased to $200. The first two such events at the Ritz here, during last year's smoking season, were sellouts at $150. These heavenly evenings have become so popular that the entire Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. is joining with Cigar Aficionado magazine to produce what promises to be the mother of all cigar smokers.

On one glorious night, next April 19, every hotel in the chain will join in an International Cigar Celebration. Each hotel, from Barcelona, Spain, to Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii, will have the same menu, wines and cigars. The Ritz in Clayton will add a special touch that night, an expert rolling cigars on site. For reservations, there's a common toll-free number for all the hotels: 800-346-3244. The Ritz-Carltons in Asia and Australia will hold their dinners on April 20, because of time differences.

If you happen to be in Paris on Oct. 22, and have a spare $1,000, you can catch Cigar Aficionado's Dinner of the Century. Guests at the Restaurant Laurent will enjoy Cuban cigars produced just for this event. Wines will include a 1924 Lafite Rothschild. Cigar Aficionado has to be one of the most amazing success stories in publishing history.

The current issue has 256 pages, filled with four-color ads celebrating the good life. POISED FOR ACTION: John Connors, net. His remaining stock is worth about $1.3 million. NEWS FROM STATION: Station Casinos owner of the Casino St. Charles, celebrated the opening of its newest casino Tuesday with a massive fireworks display.

The company said its Boulder Station is the first new hotelcasino to open on the east side of Las Vegas since 1979. It has a 300-room hotel, a casino with 2,200 slots and video poker machines, 44 table games, a 10-table poker room, a sports book and five full-service restaurants. The cost, at $103 million, exceeded the original budget. In Missouri, meanwhile, the company will present its case for dockside gambling at a hearing Wednesday of the Missouri Gaming Commission. Many of the poker dealers on the Admiral are hoping the commission lets Casino St.

Charles go dockside. Why? Because they need a place to play. Missouri and Illinois laws prohibit casino em company. If Nevada gambling officials approve, Vision will open the Grand Victorian Gambling Parlor late this year or early in 1995. The company controls the real estate on one corner of a key intersection in Henderson, not far from where Station Casinos' Boulder Station casino opened Tuesday.

The key to Vision's vision is getting in cheap. Connors plans to open both the Colorado and the Nevada operations for a total investment of $20 million. They will be small casinos. Crapper Jack's will have 130 slot machines and six table games. The Grand Victorian will have 300 slots, four blackjack tables and a sports book.

Both projects can grow later. But unlike many of today's riverboat casino developments, Connors emphasizes, both have minimal risk. RETRIEVING THE MERCEDES: Mercedes-Benz Credit Corp. is trying to get back the 1989 420SEL that was leased by Steve COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE NOTES pal Financial Group in the sale of 65,000 square feet of retail space on 6.6 acres of land at 2 Market Place in Fairview Heights to Value City, represented by THF Realty. The site was formerly occupied by Best Products.

Turley Martin Co. represented parties in these sales of retail buildings: 15,450 square feet at 10915 New Halls Ferry Road to Wintrust One from Vorhof-Duenke Inc. Realtors represented the buyer. a 5,000 square feet at 633 North Skinker Boulevard to Municipal Finance Co. from Simon D.

Rossi Trust. Midland Group represented Union-Lindbergh Development Co. in the sale of the Marshall Plaza Shopping Center at Union Road and Lindbergh Boulevard to Lincoln National Investment Management. 29,692 square feet at 2303 Chaffee Drive in West Port to Edward D. Jones Co.

from 'Shutt-Kresko. Nooney Krombach Co. represented the lessee. 25,000 square feet at 2329 Chaffee Drive to American Excelsior Co. from Shutt-Kresko.

Nooney Krombach Co. represented the lessee. Trammell Crow Co. and Kenneth Johnson Agency represented Princi- Cozad Commercial Real Estate represented the purchaser in this sale: 14,297 square feet at 649 Han-ley Industrial Court to Jasper Engines. Cozad Commercial represented the seller.

Follman Properties-Oncor International represented parties in these leases: 2,100 square feet of retail space at 11805 Manchester Road in Des Peres to Commonwealth Land Title Insurance from Fred L. Anthon. 7,861 square feet of office space in St. Louis Place, 200 North Broadway, to Kerber Eck and Braeckel from Allstate Insurance. Trammell Crow Co.

represented parties in these leases of industrial space: 53,088 square feet at 159 Cas-sens Court in Fenton to Semi-Bulk Systems Inc. from Teacher's Insurance and Annuity Association of America. Follman Properties represented the lessee. 14,432 square feet at 2061-63 Congressional Drive to Home Builders Supply, from Congressional Property Partners. Cozad Commercial Real Estate represented the lessee.

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