By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Pinnacle Entertainment said this morning (Monday) that its board has approved spending about $800 million to build new casinos in downtown St. Louis and in south St. Louis County.
The hotel and casino in downtown is now a $400 million project for Pinnacle, up from a first minimum estimate of $208 million. That includes money ($45 million) to buy and refurbish the Embassy Suites on Laclede's Landing.
The project in the south St. Louis County town of Lemay now totals $375 million, up from $300 million. That includes money to clean up the former industrial site and to build a four-lane road to and from the facility. The Lemay casino is scheduled to open in 2008.
Both projects still need some government approval.