Kansas City, Mo. ? The Missouri Gaming Commission has reduced a $10,000 fine against casino owner Bill Grace for drinking alcohol at his St. Joseph riverboat.

Grace will have to pay only $2,500, the commission voted Wednesday during a meeting in Kansas City.

The commission was asked to reconsider the amount after the Missouri Court of Appeals in August threw out a profanity charge that had been part of the original fine.

During a May 1999 dispute with a security guard over Gaming Commission rules, Grace allegedly uttered profanities in public at his St. Jo Frontier Casino.

“The fact that you don’t like what someone does is not grounds for taking action,” said Grace’s attorney, James Deutsch. “Criticizing the gaming commission is simply not misconduct.”

But in its ruling, the court refused to throw out the charge that Grace violated state gambling rules by drinking wine with dinner at a casino restaurant without advance written approval from the commission.

“I think the resolution was more or less fair,” Deutsch said. “The commission seems to have gotten the message. I haven’t had a chance to discuss whether Mr. Grace might wish to have a further appeal.”