Jul 18, 2007 9:32 pm US/Eastern
Inside Indiana's Majestic Star Casino
GARY, INDIANA (KDKA) ―
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This is a look at the plans for Pittsburgh's Majestic Star casino to be built on the North Shore.
KDKA
It's the long wait for the grand opening of the Majestic Star casino on the North Shore that has many Pittsburghers beginning to wonder just what the facility will look like and offer.
KDKA's Jon Delano got a peek inside the other Majestic Star located in Gary, Indiana, which is about 25 miles southeast of Chicago.
In Indiana, the Majestic Star is actually two boats docked on Lake Michigan, one of them was formerly owned by billionaire businessman, Donald Trump.
Delano says that room after room on the larger of the two boats is filled with a variety of different slot machines.
But Barden tells KDKA that Pittsburgh's Majestic Star will be the showcase of his casino empire.
"We're going to open with 3,000 in Pittsburgh," he says. "After, I think, six months, we're permitted to go another thousand, and then within 24 months, we'll be up to 5,000, subject to Gaming Commission approval."
Barden also promises the most modern of slot machines when Pittsburgh's casino opens.
"By the time we open, they'll be brand new machines that will be invented, so Pittsburgh will have the state-of-the-art, most modern slots that exist at the time we open," he adds. "We'll have additional ones that are now in the pipeline of development."
But one big difference between Pittsburgh and Gary is the pay-out.
"We give back here [in Gary] about 92 percent," says Barden.
He adds that kind of pay-out can't be done in Pittsburgh because taxes are higher.
Barden says Indiana's government take is 30 percent compared to 55 percent in Pennsylvania. But he adds that slots players can still walk out big winners.
Stay with KDKA for the latest developments with the Majestic Star Casino.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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