CASINO MOVES UPSTREAM DURING EXPANSION

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Players Island Casino is moving -- upstream a few hundred feet.

Players riverboat casino will close at midnight Tuesday, to move operations upstream about 300 feet as construction of a new landing facility continues at its Metropolis site along the Ohio River.

The casino will reopen at noon Wednesday, at the temporary location.

The new entrance of the casino will be located in Players Island's upper parking lot said general manager Mike Crider.

"We apologize for any inconvenience that the temporary closing may cause," said Crider. "But we're confident that our customers will be pleased with the changes that are taking place as we build a better product."

The new landing is the first of many changes that will be taking place as part of a $40 million expansion plan as Players Island Casino transforms into Harrah's-Metropolis.

Harrah's, based in Las Vegas, is one of the nation's largest gambling companies, with 18 U.S. casinos. Harrah's purchased Players International more than a year ago.

Players, which was based in Atlantic City, operated a Paducah, Ky., horse racing track in addition to the two riverboat casinos in Lake Charles, La., two casinos at Maryland Heights, Mo., and the riverboat in Metropolis.

Harrah's also gained complete control of the four-casino Riverport dockside facility, previously operated jointly by the two companies in Maryland Heights.

Included in the multi-million dollar expansion plans at Metropolis is an all-new spacious entertainment complex featuring Harrah's signature restaurants -- The Range Steakhouse, Fresh Market Square Buffet and the Diamond Lounge.

Harrah's is the first dual casino operator in Illinois.

The casino at Metropolis is one of the top 10 employers in Southern Illinois, with more than 900 employees. The casino, located across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky., attracts more than two million visitors a year.