GOVERNOR WILL LAUNCH NEW PLAYERS CASINO

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Players Casino in Metropolis, Ill., will celebrate the grand opening of its new casino riverboat on Wednesday. Gov. Jim Edgar will preside over the ceremonies that begin at 11 a.m.

A large fireworks display will mark the new boat's arrival. It will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The new boat, Players II, has been in operation at the company's facility in Lake Charles, La. The new boat features five decks, the first three of which are casino floor space. The fourth deck has a snack bar, new state-of-the-art slot machines and a special slot tournament area. The fifth deck is the pilot house.

The new boat features more than 850 slot and video poker machines, 35 blackjack tables, five roulette wheels, six craps tables, four Caribbean stud poke tables and one "big six" wheel. Company officials say the boat has a greatly enhanced air-conditioning and filtration system.

The new casino has an authentic working paddle-wheel and can accommodate up to 1,650 patrons plus 250 employees.

With the new boat, Players has added valet parking and a covered drop off area for inclement weather.

The new casino will operation two-hour cruises continuously from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.