No Dice! Mark Twain Casino pulls live table games

LA GRANGE, Mo. — Mark Twain Casino has certainly been impacted by the influx of gaming machines in Quincy since the city voted to allow online gambling in 2017.

One of the marketing tools used by the casino after gambling became legal in Illinois was to feature table games such as craps, blackjack, poker and roulette along with the popular slot machines.

But those tools are no longer in the tool box and the tables have turned…off.

Mark Twain Casino no longer offers live table games with people serving as dealers, but the casino will still offer video versions of poker and other table games.

The company released a statement earlier this week and cited the difficulty of hiring table dealers has part of the reason for the move.

“Due to ongoing challenges in hiring and retaining skilled and experienced table game dealers and supervisors, Mark Twain casino has made the difficult decision to eliminate live table games, impacting a small number of employees. This change has provided Mark Twain with the opportunity to expand our offering of roulette, blackjack, craps, and mini baccarat through electronic table games following our substantial investment in a recently renovated gaming floor and team member areas. We value all our employees and have encouraged those impacted to apply for several open positions at the property. We are committed to continuing to enhance our guests’ experience and supporting the local community.”

The Mark Twain Casino opened July, 2001 and was first operated by Grace Entertainment. Herbst Gaming acquired it in 2005 and the casino’s name was changed to Terrible’s Mark Twain Casino. In May 2011, Herbst Gaming changed its name to Affinity Gaming and the casino dropped the “Terrible’s” part of its moniker, probably because it was kind of a terrible name.