After 15 years along the Mississippi River as an icon of the East St. Louis waterfront and home to one of the earliest gambling establishments in the region, the Casino Queen riverboat departed Monday under new ownership. Branson-based Cedar Bay Entertainment, which specializes in family entertainment, bought the 19th-century, four-story side-wheeler for an undisclosed amount.

East St. Louis - Tom Monaghan, general manager of the Casino Queen, has on his best poker face. In less than three weeks, the casino that has operated on a riverboat for 14 years is moving to fancier, larger quarters on the Queen's parking lot. It will be the first of Illinois' nine casinos to move inland, but the gaming floor will still float, housed in a basin filled with 340,000 gallons of water.