ILLINOIS CASINOS DROP ANCHOR FOR GOOD

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Gambling riverboats in Illinois have "dropped anchor" for good.

The nine operating riverboat casinos, from the Elgin Riverboat Resort Casino on the Fox River in the north to Players Casino at Metropolis on the Ohio River, opened their turnstiles to dockside gambling Saturday.

Previously casino gambling was allowed only aboard self-propelled, 19th century replica excursion boats on navigable streams or along the state's borders.

Cruises were necessary every two hours, with boarding during the first half-hour of each cruise.

Today, gamblers can come-and-go as they want, and eventually the riverboats might disappear, replaced by elaborate casinos constructed on river barges.

"The barges still have to be on the water," said Mary Ann Floriano, a representative of the Illinois Gaming Commission.

Dockside provisions have been long sought after by casinos.

Mike Crider, Players Island Casino vice president and general manger at Metropolis, says the new boarding regulations were a major development for Players. "We can now offer our customers the freedom to come and go as they please," he said. "They no longer have to plan their trips around a cruise schedule."

The new dockside regulations apparently added to the attendance at some Illinois sites last weekend.

"It was a big boost to our attendance," said Jahnae Erpenbach, directory of marketing at Players Casino. "People have been waiting for this, and last weekend, they came aboard."

Erpenbach said Players officials estimated a 5 to 15 percent increase in attendance.

Last year's total attendance at the Metropolis casino was 2.1 million.

The Casino Queen at East St. Louis also experienced increased traffic during the weekend.

The new law, in addition to legalizing dockside gambling, will also permit reopening of the struggling casino in East Dubuque at a Chicago site.

H.P. Inc., which operated the Silver Eagle Casino, closed operations in August 1996 but has kept its license current and is expected start anew with a gambling barge outside Chicago in the suburb of Rosemont.

Riverboat gambling started in Illinois in 1991 in the form of two-hour cruises with restricted boardings.

Gambling from the nine riverboat operations attracted more than 24.8 million visitors, with adjusted gross receipts of $1.1 billion, an increase of about 5 percent from 1997.

A move is under way toward open boarding in Missouri, a state that already has dockside gambling but limits boarding to the first 45 minutes of each two-hour session.

A study has begun, but the state gaming commission says it could be up to six months before a decision is made.

Missouri's gambling industry consists of 15 riverboat casinos at 10 sites.

Cities with casinos have received $148 million from admission fees (the state and the community split the $2 admission fee), plus $64 million from a 2 percent tax on casino receipts. These funds have been used to improve streets and bridges, to build parks and recreational centers, to replace fire and police departments, and to improve wastewater systems.