Former Casino Boat Becomes Alabama Artificial Reef

A former riverboat casino now rests on the Gulf floor after Alabama converted the Argosy VI into one of its largest artificial reef sites.

Good to Know

• The vessel sits about 23 nautical miles south of Orange Beach.
• The Gulf reaches about 122 feet deep at the reef location.
• Alabama used $2.5 million in GOMESA funding for the project.

Casino Floor Becomes Fish Habitat

Crews sank the 408 foot, four level vessel on July 1 after years of planning and environmental preparation as you can see below. Workers removed hazardous materials and cut openings through the structure so water and marine life could pass safely through it.

The Argosy VI now provides hard surfaces where algae, barnacles and other organisms can grow. Reef fish can use its rooms, decks and passageways for food, shelter and breeding habitat.

Alabama chose a coarse sandy section along the eastern side of its offshore reef zone. Craig Newton, Fisheries Section Supervisor for the Alabama Marine Resources Division, said:

“This particular reef site is along the eastern side of Alabama’s artificial reef zone. The waters here typically have better clarity, and the coarse sandy bottom will help support a structure this size without it settling into the mud.”

The site also offers another destination for anglers and experienced divers. About 62 to 64 feet of water remains above the highest section of the vessel.

Argosy VI once carried thousands of casino visitors on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The vessel held more than 1,700 slot machines and could accommodate around 4,407 passengers and crew.

Argosy Gaming operated the casino before Penn National Gaming acquired the company in 2005. The boat retired in 2009 after Penn replaced it with a newer land-based casino operation.

Alabama later acquired the unused vessel while it sat in Bayou La Batre. Rather than scrap it, the state added it to the Dr. Robert Bob Shipp Alabama Artificial Reef Zone, part of a reef network that supports species including red snapper, amberjack and vermilion snapper.

Kevin Anson, Director of the Alabama Marine Resources Division, said:

“Alabama is very limited in the amount of hard bottom or coral areas here in this part of the Gulf of Mexico, and a lot of the reef fish species that many people like to target while they’re fishing require reef structure at least for some segment of their life history.”

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