Davenport’s mayor and city administrator flew to sunny Las Vegas on Monday, but they and other city leaders are traveling for business not pleasure.

The Global Gaming Expo kicks off this week at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event — called the G2E by industry experts — is a global-scope gathering of gaming industry principals and exhibitors.

The Davenport contingent will be set up in exhibitor’s booth No.1,277 — looking for a company willing to take over the license currently being operated by Isle of Capri Inc.

“We have a display inviting any high-quality gaming operators to invest in a land-based casino here,” City Administrator Craig Malin said. “The city sent out more than 200 packets of information to gaming companies worldwide, advising them we will be at the expo. We’ve had several companies contact us through various means, and hopefully, we’ll see some of them out in Vegas and find some others as well.”

The city’s marketing materials tout a “$100 million gaming revenue opportunity,” the fact the Quad-Cities is within a day’s drive of 40 million potential customers and several potential downtown locations.

Slick handouts with aerial views tout three potential development sites, all downtown:

Downtown Gateway — site of the now-vacant Howard Johnson’s Hotel at 3rd Street and River Drive. A fleshed-out sketch shows a 40,000-square-foot casino floor, 135-room hotel, multi-level parking deck and riverfront restaurant with a walkway over River Drive.

Downtown Center — current site of the Davenport Ground Transportation Center, full or half-block available for development.

Arts & Convention Center District — possible site south of Davenport RiverCenter, opportunity for half-block of land to be assembled.  

After feeling shortchanged by the Isle of Capri’s 2008 announcement it would build a multimillion-dollar, land-based facility in Bettendorf while rebranding Rhythm City as a Lady Luck property — traditionally the company’s brand for smaller casinos serving local markets — the city hired a consultant to determine the value of the city’s license.

The report by Cummings Associates — the executive summary of which is included in the city’s marketing material — pegged the value at $149 million to $169 million, depending on location and said an investor could expect $82 million to $88 million annually in gambling revenues. By comparison, the Rhythm City posted revenue of $58.2 million for fiscal 2009 and $56.7 million for fiscal 2008.

In August, Isle officials gave the city consent to search for a new operator.

Although a new licensee will be actively sought, the city remains open to discussions with the Isle of Capri on future investments by that company in Davenport, city officials said. Meanwhile, the current Rhythm City casino will continue in operation on the downtown Davenport riverfront.

Jill Haynes, senior director of corporate communications for  Isle of Capri, said the company did not have an official statement regarding the Las Vegas trip by city leaders. The company’s chief executive officer, Virginia McDowell, is at the expo and will give a keynote speech there Wednesday as part of a panel discussing “Gaming’s New Guard.”

Mayor Bill Gluba said he’s under no illusions that Davenport will find a magical match on this trip.

“Clearly, the national economy is not on our side, but you have to start somewhere,” he said. “We’re not expecting to come back right away with a big company wanting to come in. But, hopefully, we can build up contacts and relationships and market the city to potential gaming operators interested in entering the market.”

Gluba, ever willing to be Davenport’s biggest cheerleader, thinks he has a lot to sell.

“If an investor is willing to make this the premier gambling facility in the region, they can do pretty well,” he said. “We know the Isle has invested about $145 million in Bettendorf and Jumer’s about $150 million in Rock Island. So a figure of $149 million to $190 million in Davenport seems pretty accurate.”

Gluba, Malin and Alderman Gene Meeker, At Large, will be in Las Vegas from Monday through Thursday night on the city-funded trip.