St. Louis riverboat fails to lure serious bidders

ST. LOUIS — A century-old riverboat that's been a fixture along St. Louis' Mississippi River banks until folding as a floating casino won't be moving anytime soon after an auction failed to rustle up a sufficient bid.

The S.S. Admiral — home until last summer to The President Casino — attracted dozens of offers online leading up to Wednesday's planned sale. But the owner found none of the bids acceptable.

Virgil Straeter owns an Illinois auction company that oversaw the potential sale of the 365-foot-long, 95-foot-wide vessel.

Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment closed the vessel as a casino over the summer and sold the boat.

The boat has been stripped of all the gambling vestiges but comes with a considerable cache including crystal chandeliers, steam tables, office furniture, generators and their backups, large stoves and walk-in coolers.