Northern Kentucky business leader Gary Toebben sees Indiana's move to expand gambling as all about opportunities.

        Indiana is grabbing an opportunity, while Northern Kentucky is missing one, he thinks.

        Advocates fighting the uphill battle to bring casino gambling to Kentucky say Indiana will attract more bettors from Northern Kentucky by allowing riverboat casinos to dock and stay open longer hours.

        “The casinos know they are going to get more customers from Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati or they wouldn't be running full-page newspaper ads,” said Mr. Toebben, president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which has supported legalizing gambling in Kentucky.

        “It was good business on their part to change the laws and allow dockside gambling and longer hours,” he said.

        Last week Indiana's riverboat casinos — including Argosy in Lawrenceburg, Grand Victoria in Rising Sun and Belterra in Switzerland County — were allowed by the state to make two major moves expected to increase convenience for gamblers:

        The boats are docking, and customers have free access to come and go as they please. In the past boats have to make regular cruises every few hours, meaning patrons had to get on and off the boats at restricted times.

        Casino hours have been extended to 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week.

        Northern Kentucky developer Jerry Carroll, who has also pushed for legalized gambling in Kentucky, said Indiana made a landmark decision for its casino industry.

        “This is the most vital thing that has happened for Indiana gaming since the vote that made it legal,” said Mr. Carroll, president and developer of the Kentucky Speedway in Gallatin County.

        Mr. Carroll and fellow developer Bill Butler, chairman and CEO of Corporex Cos. of Covington, have proposed building an entertainment venue, possibly on Covington's riverfront, that would offer restaurants, shops, nightclubs, hotels and more built around a casino.

        Pat Boylson, general manager of the Cincinnati Marriott hotel on Covington's riverfront, said Indiana's casinos bring visitors to Greater Cincinnati.

        “People come and they go to a (Reds) ballgame, go to Newport on the Levee, go to Kings Island or the (Cincinnati) zoo, and they go to the casinos,” Mr. Boylson.

        But he would like to see the type of entertainment complex Mr. Carroll has talked about building in Covington.

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