Casino Boat Faces Chilly Waters

NEW YORKted by the Newsday: "The Southern Elegance is finding no down-home hospitality in Bay Shore.

"In the month since the hulking, four-story casino boat arrived at this coastal hamlet, its owners have filed a $40-million lawsuit alleging Islip town has tried to sink their ocean gambling business.

"The town has obtained a legal injunction temporarily barring the boat's owners from running their business out of Bay Shore.

"And scores of residents have come together, saying the boat will pollute the harbor, overrun existing businesses and draw legions of rowdy, even intoxicated, gamblers to the community.

"…Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to two fuel spills in the harbor - one of which was called in by crew members on the Elegance. Neither has been tied to the casino boat although both are still under investigation, a Coast Guard official said Friday.

"…The boat has a 500-passenger capacity. It must venture at least three miles offshore, into international waters, before gambling can legally occur…"

2006-06-12