A casino in South Dakota apparently owned by Hollywood actor Kevin Costner has officially closed its doors after running for 26 years.
On August 29 Tuesday, the Midnight Star casino located in Deadwood, South Dakota announced it was going to shut down, leaving 40 of its employees without a job.
The business opened in 1991, the very same year the South Dakota-located film (directed by Costner himself) Dances with Wolves had won numerous Academy Awards, such as Best Director for Kevin Costner.
After it opened, the casino and its other offerings were an absolute hit, where people and fans can go retail shopping, experience a 4-star type dining experience along with casino gaming, and they can also freely view lots of Costner's movie memorabilia. However, as the years go by, the place eventually could not keep up with the other newer and flashier casino establishments that popped up, and with these newer casino options closer to their homes, many customers have stopped visiting the actor-owned casino.
Costner said that because of his "deep love for Deadwood and the Black Hills of South Dakota" he decided to open the casino. However, lately he has been downsizing his properties in the state, which included selling off some of the 1,000 acres of land he owned near Deadwood.
Regarding the closure of the casino, Costner expressed he had a "heavy heart" but overall the place ran pretty well during its time, and he was "enormously proud of what the Midnight Star became."
The immediate closure seemed to highly surprise state regulators, as deputy executive secretary Craig Sparrow of the South Dakota Commission on Gaming said that he had "no comment about nothing" on the Midnight Star's termination.
Kevin Costner is still active in the movie world, as he is playing Molly's father in the film Molly's Game, which opens in US theaters November 22. Directed by Aaron Sorkin, Molly's Game is inspired by Molly Bloom's book, a woman narrating her years playing as host to prestigious high-stakes poker games involving famous athletes, movie stars, business tycoons and unknowingly to her, the Russian mob. The self-styled "poker princess" was sentenced to probation in 2013 after she pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling venture.
Source:
http://www.ksfy.com/content/news/Casino-owned-by-actor-closes-in-South-Dakota-442267043.html
