Des Moines, Iowa ? Bernard “Bernie” Goldstein, the chairman of Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. who helped found the modern riverboat casino industry that started in Iowa, has died, the company said Monday.

Goldstein died Sunday at a hospice house in Bettendorf. He was diagnosed with cancer last fall, company spokeswoman Jill Haynes said. He was 80.

“Bernie was undoubtedly one of the most significant figures in the history of our industry, paving the way for the growth of gaming beyond Las Vegas and Atlantic City and establishing it as a major entertainment force in America’s heartland,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “But it was the way he ran his company that truly will be remembered.”

Jim Perry, CEO of Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., based in St. Louis, said he knew Goldstein for 15 years and worked for him for two years.

“When I joined the company, his total focus was trying to make Isle of Capri a place where everyone could feel comfortable, whether it’s our employees or our customers,” Perry said.

Goldstein was born in February 1929 in Rock Island, Ill. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1951, and went to work for the Alter Cos., a Davenport scrap metal company owned by his father-in-law.

Goldstein launched one of the nation’s first riverboat casinos, the Diamond Lady, in Bettendorf on April 1, 1991. Davenport attorney Curt Beason worked with Goldstein on Iowa’s original legislation permitting casino-style riverboat gambling, which passed in 1989. He said Goldstein knew the Mississippi River and knew it was a great attraction.

“He knew how beautiful it was and he knew it was a great tourist attraction and it just needed to be properly marketed,” Beason said. “He brought his riverboat skills and his entrepreneurial skills to embrace tourism and not only did it work here in Iowa of course, it was proven to be a great development opportunity for many states.”

Decker Ploehn, Bettendorf’s city administrator, said the city honored Goldstein recently for his contributions to a new waterfront convention center.

“He saw the opportunity for the river and gaming and how the two of those could complement each other in a way that could bring tourism, could bring jobs. With his knowledge of the river and I think his vision, he felt he could make it happen,” Ploehn said.

Goldstein founded Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. and opened the first riverboat in the South, Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi, Miss, on Aug. 1, 1992. The Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. owns and operates 14 casinos in Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado and Florida, and one in the Bahamas.

Goldstein served as chief executive and chairman of the board. He retired as CEO in 2008.

He is survived by his wife, Renee, four children and nine grandchildren.

Funeral services and burial will be today at the Tri-City Jewish Center in Rock Island.