GAMBLING: METROPOLIS APPROVED FOR OHIO RIVER CASINO

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- A decision by the Illinois Gaming Board to allow a floating casino at Metropolis has crushed the hopes of another Southern Illinois city Cairo, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

Metropolis, home of famed super hero Superman, could become a booming community in the future, and Mayor Bill Kommer is talking about the economic impact of the new gambling casino, which will be operating from the city's riverfront in the future.

The Illinois Gaming Board recently approved the request of California-based Players International Inc. to run the casino operation out of Metropolis on the Ohio River.

"We had some opposition to the boat," said the mayor of this small Southern Illinois city of about 8,000. "But no one appeared at the gaming board meeting and we feel that once people see what this operation will mean to our community everyone will be happy."

One of the pluses of the operation will be the 350 jobs it will create.

"We've been assured by Players officials that at least 250 of these jobs will be filled by Southern Illinoisans," said Kommer. The operation will also mean economic gains for our motels, restaurants and other businesses here, he said.

"We feel the casino will attract people from a wide area, including Southeast Missouri and West Kentucky," said Kommer. "We'll be seeing people here from Indiana Evansville is only 120 miles away and Tennessee.

"That means more business for our restaurants, motels, service stations, and a number of other specialty shops," said Kommer.

The boat, a four-deck, 1,200-passenger paddlewheeler, is expected to be built and in operation by next fall, said Kommer.

"Players officials will be here within a week to discuss the operation," said Kommer.

The approval for the floating casino came two weeks ago during a meeting of the Illinois Gaming Board in Springfield. On hand at the meeting were Players officials and Kommer.

The five-man gaming board announced its decision following a 90-minute closed session.

Players International is a publicly held company with 2,000 shareholders. It has 13 years experience in marketing casinos, casino cruises and race tracks.

Kommer said Metropolis had good docking facilities.

"Parking should be no problem," he said. "We have an area near the river where 500 cars can be parked."

The announcement that Metropolis had been selected for the casino was sad news for Cairo officials, who had also worked to obtain the casino. Cairo is about 40 miles southeast of Metropolis.

"We're not berating Metropolis," said Cairo Mayor James Wilson. "We hope the operation is a success for the town."

"I am discouraged that we could not come up with a casino that would have located here," said Wilson. "A casino operation would have given Cairo a big boost."

In addition to the economic overflow into the community, the city receives a share of each admission ticket to the casino.

Cairo has watched its population dwindle from more than 10,000 in the early 1960s to less than 6,000, while its unemployment rate has climbed to double-digit figures, between 18 and 19 percent.

Wilson was the leader in Cairo's campaign to attract a casino.

"At one time Players International wanted to dock here," said Wilson. "We did everything we could to promote it. We pointed out all the advantages for Cairo but it didn't work out.

"This is a sad time for all the people here who have worked so hard to get the approval for the casino. Nobody worked harder than we did," said Wilson.

"We're a struggling community and this was a golden opportunity. We felt from the start that the state should have mandated Cairo to have one of the casinos."