Once the World’s Largest Riverboat Casino, Argosy VI Gets an Incredible Second Life Beneath the Sea

A former riverboat casino that was once the world’s largest vessel of its kind was intentionally sunk off the Alabama coast on Wednesday, beginning a second life as the region’s largest artificial reef.

The 408-foot-long Argosy VI now rests on the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico, 122 feet underwater and 23 nautical miles south of Orange Beach. Conservationists say the vessel will boost marine biodiversity and increase the overall fish population by providing new habitat, shelter, and breeding areas.

At one point, the boat supported a very different kind of lifeform, attracting gamblers from Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, southeastern Indiana and beyond while moored on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Riverboat Boom

The Argosy Casino opened in 1996, three years after the Indiana legislature voted to legalize casino gaming. The Argosy VI entered service in 1997, replacing an earlier, smaller casino vessel.

With 1,700 slot machines and roughly 75,000 square feet of gaming space spread over three casino decks, the Argosy VI was the centerpiece of a large entertainment complex that included a 300-room hotel and restaurants.

Its operator, Argosy Gaming Company, was acquired by Penn Entertainment in 2004, and the Argosy VI’s new owner decided it was going to need a bigger boat.

The Argosy VI was retired after only about 12 years of service as a gaming vessel to make way for a new riverboat with a passenger capacity of nearly 9,000 and 4,400 gaming positions. The replacement vessel remains in operation today as Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg.

Argosy VI was later acquired by Alabama real estate developer Larry Wireman who was negotiating to moor the boat at Key West in Florida when the Alabama Conservation Department’s Marine Resources Division called.

The department paid Wireman $2.5 million for the boat which included the costs of gutting it and stripping it of hazardous materials, including its engines, plumbing, and electrical systems in line with state regulations for artificial reefs.

Sinking Ship

It took over a year to prepare the Argosy VI for scuttling. On Wednesday morning, salvage crews removed wooden plugs from the vessel’s stern, allowing seawater to flood the hull.

Within minutes, the former casino disappeared beneath the surface, where it is expected to become home to corals, sponges, barnacles, fish, and other marine life.

State officials say the reef will also create a new destination for recreational divers and anglers, which means the vessel will continue to draw visitors long after its days of welcoming gamblers came to an end.