When Mobile caught casino fever, and a kiss from Trump

Donald Trump visits Mobile on August 25, 1993. Alabama was considering a bill that would pave the way for casino gambling, and Trump was touting his plans to build a resort in downtown Mobile.

• Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al. com

Do you remember when casino tycoons chose properties in Mobile, and one of them, a celebrity named Donald Trump, visited Mobile and kissed the town seal?

It's been a while. On Saturday, March 16, it was 20 years since the Beau Rivage set a new standard for casino resorts on the Gulf Coast. In Biloxi, there was fanfare. In Mobile, it was just an excuse to think about what a casino should be. One of those things was, of course, the Beau Rivage, which stands majestically on the Mobile skyline.

Mississippi's opening of the door to port gambling in the early 1990s set a fierce political battle in Alabama that lasted several years. When it finally died down in 1995, the state legislature hadn't legalized casinos or even approved a state referendum on the issue. The wave had passed.

Today, it's hard to find traces of the wave breaking. There are plenty of signs that Mobil is doing well. Its skyline doesn't have the Beau Rivege (the tallest building in Mississippi), but it does have the RSA Battle House Tower (the tallest building in Alabama). Downtown redevelopment has not only continued in recent years, but accelerated dramatically. It also boasts major industrial developments, such as the Austal shipyards in the U. S. and the Airbus assembly line in Brooklyn.

In 1999, the Beau Rivege opened in Biloxi.

To Mike Dow, who was mayor when the gambling war broke out, it's all proof that things finally worked out. Mobil never followed Biloxi's lead, but it found its own path, and the future is bright.

"We looked for foreign investment," Dow says. "We replaced gaming with economic development. You can be economically strong without gaming." Some, like Danny Sheridan, a nationally known sports analyst and oddsmaker who lives in Mobile, say that's bullshit. He says the casino gambling issue is a good example of Alabama being on its toes. Every day, Alabama gamblers bring money to Mississippi, which leads to a chain of jobs, tax revenue and economic activity, he says.

Walk into a casino parking lot in Biloxi, "You see a lot of license plates from Mobile and Baldwin counties," he says.

"It's not that we don't have them," Sheridan says, "it's that we can't vote."

Trump is coming to town

Voters in Hancock County, Mississippi, home to Bay St. Louis, approved dockside gambling in 1990. Harrison County, home to Biloxi and Gulfport, rejected it that year, but approved it in 1991. In 1992, the Isle of Capri opened in Biloxi, becoming the first river or boat gambling parlor.

This created a feeling of opportunity among many mobile gamblers. Gaming advocates argued that if Alabama didn't get in on the boom, Biloxi and the rest of the Mississippi coast would be cut off from the benefits and the town would wither on the vine. Opponents, including church advocacy groups, rejected the social ills that came with the gaming industry.

It's hard to overestimate how intense the race was. They were front-page news for years. Dow had been president since 1989 and wasn't particularly excited about this special hot potato being dropped in his lap. But he says he's not going to back down from the fight: "I said, I can't be mayor and not deal with this issue."

Dow says the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce showed him survey results that showed more than 80 percent of its members were in favor of a referendum. He also asked Mobile United to run a public vote, which also received more than 80 percent support. To pass the measure, they believed they needed to create a strong gaming commission and make clear provisions for where the revenue would go.

There was a lot of support, but opponents were loyal and vocal, and they shut out lawmakers, he says. "That fear is what really hurt the game," he says.

The battle was particularly fierce in 1993. Under the headline "City Council Raises Religion's Fist," the Press-Register reported in February that "a grassroots religious movement exerted impressive influence Thursday, forcing the Mobile City Council to nullify the casino gambling ordinance." "The council ultimately voted in favor of a resolution supporting a referendum on casino gambling."

Another article in February 1993 depicts a strange situation. Senator Anne Bed Sole, a member of the local parliament, will be in charge of the draft of the casino bill. However, none of the members of Mobil County were considered "political suicide" and did not try to submit a bill.

On August 25, 1993, Donald Trump and Mayor Mike Dow overlooking the waterfront of the mobile from the Bienville Club. Alabama is considering a bill to open the path to casino gambling, and Trump was planning a casino construction plan: Currently there is a Deofan restaurant, but some views are partially blocked by the RSA battle house tower. )

In each case, it does not hinder the casino officials to find a candidate for a moving place. According to city authorities, more than 10 casino operating companies are looking for a location. Some of them were modest to visit, but Donald J. Trump was different. When he arrived in August 1993, he was greeted by "smiles, flash cameras and signs."

Dow remembers that Trump pointed to a specific place where he set up a hundreds of millions of dollars. The record photo shows the two people looking at Dow, which straddles the waterfront, from the window on the 34th floor of the Bienville Club, which was on the roof of the highest building in the city at the time.

Trump's mission was to investigate Dow and local officials while investigating the $ 250 million casinos, hotels and theme park construction plans. According to an article by a business reporter Cathy Jumper, Trump said as if it were a decision on the small development of Gulfoport. He eventually obtained land approval and gaming license, but did not reach the construction.

When he visited Gulfoport to increase his interest in the project, Trump was kissing the sea lion. (Not fake news, there are photos) When he visited the city hall by mobile phone, someone asked him to kiss the seal. It's a city seal. It is a city emblem.

On August 25, 1993, Donald Trump exchanges jokes with Mayor Mike Dow Mobil. Alabama is considering a bill to open the path to casino gambling, and Trump was planning a casino construction plan.

At that time, Trump, who owned three casinos, agreed that gambling had a disadvantage, but said, "The advantages are far beyond drawbacks." "Especially medical and education.

At the end of this article, there are some things that Trump does not seem to have a future involved in presidential politics:

President Trump returns to New York and his girlfriend Marla Maples on Thursday. Maples is accompanying him on his tour of Asia but did not travel. She is seven months pregnant and is doing well, and he plans to bring her to the port city on his next visit. When asked what his biggest truth or philosophy in business or life is, Trump smiled and said, "When you get married, always sign a privilege agreement."

Lower Alabama had its dirty days because of the casino bubble. How aggressive was it? At one point, a spokesman for Lone Star Casinos said the company had picked a piece of land in Daphne, near the intersection of Interstate 10 and U. S. Highway 98, and wanted to open a casino there by 1995.

Trump had hinted at the possibility of buying land in Mobile even before the state approved gambling. Another big man, Steve Wynn, actually did just that. According to a 1994 Press-Register article, a subsidiary of Wynn's Mirage Resorts Inc. paid about $700, 000 for two parcels of land in downtown Mobile, one of which was purchased by former anti-gambling Mayor Arthur R. Outlaw.

According to a March 1994 article by Roni Patriquin, "Mirage is one of 17 national gaming companies interested in obtaining one of two downtown casino licenses that could be available if the Legislature and voters approve the plan.

In July 1995, a bill that would have allowed some counties to have a statewide referendum on casino gambling died without a vote in the Senate. "It's a shame people can't have the vote, but that's the political process," Don Siegelman said.

Siegelman ran for governor in 1998 on a pro-spin platform, but voters rejected the lottery in a 1999 referendum.

In 1996, Grand Casino announced that as part of $ 150 million extensions, the Birokushi would add more and more guest rooms. Mobil is forced to struggle in the business of the new Arthur R, Outlaw, Mobil, Convention Center.

"I'm tired of this," said Mobil City representative Al Ste Claire, who worked hard at the legislature. To compete ... our only hope is to be part of the experience of the entire Mexico Gulf. " ''

Win has planned to build one of the best gorgeous gaming resorts on the Gulf Coast, with a low investment of $ 500 million, or more than $ 650 billion. Bo Levage was trying to raise the hurdle more than expected when several rivers were being talked about.

Alabama decided to close the casino door, which spurred the rise of the gambling hall owned by engineers. In 2009, Creek Indian's Poak Band opened a Wind Creek Casino & Hotel with $ 240 million in Atmore.

The illness of St. Claire in 1996 is now sick.

"I met Steve Win at the request of Mike Dow," says Sheridan. He flew to Las Vegas and met Win in his office. "He showed me a spectacular plan called Bo Levage. I'm going to build it at the center of my mobile phone."

"He understood everything," says Sheridan. Birokushi was his second candidate because of the limited and expansion opportunities on the waterfront. "He said. If Biroksie is useless, we will go to Biroxy," says Sheridan.

"What they did there is great.

He says that Alabama has ruined it and is still hindering his mobile phone. He says that the casino is "polluting the water". "The air does not pollute.

He also says that he does not know the west side of the social evil that the opposition is in contact with.

"I have never seen Mississippi fall into hell." I have never seen the devil there. "

In 1996, Grand Casino announced that it would add a convention center and more rooms to Birokushi as part of $ 150 million extensions. Mobil is forced to struggle in the business of the new Arthur R, Outlaw, Mobil, Convention Center.

"I'm tired of this," said Mobil City representative Al Ste Claire, who worked hard at the legislature. To compete ... our only hope is to be part of the experience of the entire Mexico Gulf. " ''

Win has planned to build one of the best gorgeous gaming resorts on the Gulf Coast, with a low investment of $ 500 million, or more than $ 650 billion. Bo Levage was trying to raise the hurdle more than expected when several rivers were being talked about.

Alabama decided to close the casino door, which spurred the rise of the gambling hall owned by engineers. In 2009, Creek Indian's Poak Band opened a Wind Creek Casino & Hotel with $ 240 million in Atmore.

The illness of St. Claire in 1996 is now sick.

"I met Steve Win at the request of Mike Dow," says Sheridan. He flew to Las Vegas and met Win in his office. "He showed me a spectacular plan called Bo Levage and said," I'm going to build it in the center of my mobile phone. "

"He understood everything," says Sheridan. Birokushi was his second candidate because of the limited and expansion opportunities on the waterfront. "He said. If Biroksie is useless, we will go to Biroxy," says Sheridan.

"What they did there is great.