METROPOLIS RIVERFRONT HAS NEW LOOKWITH EYE ON BOAT GAMBLING

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- The Ohio River shoreline here is taking on a new look.

"A slack-water harbor area has been cut out to allow us to come in from the main stream," said Jay R. Boyd, vice president of marketing for Players Riverboat Casino, which will start operations in this small Southern Illinois city of 8,000 in April of next year.

"Everything is on schedule for our 1993 opening," said Boyd. "The harbor has been cut, and we have a second riverboat, which will be used for ticketing office, gift shop, and restaurants."

The new harbor is a 100-by-600-foot harbor that provides for the permanently moored riverboat operations and boarding facilities.

Players, which has leased about 2,000 feet of riverfront from the city of Metropolis, has also purchased or has options to purchase six acres of private property adjacent to the riverfront for parking and for a possible hotel development in the future.

"Included in the plans are handicapped parking places near the boat and boarding facilities," said Boyd. "We have about 200 spaces in close. We have spaces far another 1,000 cars nearby."

Company officials first visited Metropolis in November 1990, and were impressed with the potential.

"There was abundant land for parking and an excellent site for future development like a hotel," said Boyd. "But the biggest thing is the fact that more than 8 million people potential customers live within a 200-mile radius of Metropolis, which is easily accessible off Interstate 24.

Construction of the riverboat, which is a 1,200-passenger sidewheeler replica, is under way, said Boyd. The vessel will have more than 20,000 square feet of casino space on three decks and will feature more than 650 video poker and slot machines, 38 table games, and live poker games.

"Players Casino officials have visited several casino operations throughout Illinois. "We wanted to see how they operate and how they move people," said Boyd. "We've incorporated the better ideas from each operation into our operation."

"The second riverboat, which will be moored to a barge, provides us with many of our necessary facilities," said Boyd. "The first floor will house a buffet restaurant, which will seat 300 to 325 persons. On the second level we'll have a sit-down restaurant overlooking the river. A third floor provides banquet facilities."

The Players Riverboat Casino, which is already licensed by Illinois, is scheduled for delivery in late February. "We're looking at a `soft' opening in March and a grand opening of the casino operations in April," said Boyd.

Casino officials anticipate that the floating casino will attract more than 700,000 passengers annually.

"We're looking at four to six cruises a day," said Boyd. "Each cruise will last about three hours."

The state of Illinois will receive 25 percent of the gaming revenue from the boat and the city will receive 25 percent of the state's total. In addition, the city will receive $1 for every passenger who goes on the boat.

Metropolis Mayor Bill Kommer said the casino operation will be a big boost to the area's economy. "Our unemployment ranges between 11 and 12 percent," he said. "The 365 jobs this project will bring means a lot."

Kommer added that the operation will also bring outside dollars to the city.

"People will come here from a 150 to 200-mile area," said Kommer.

Motel owners in the area are repairing and remodeling their facilities in preparations for the opening.

"There are three motels here now," said Boyd. "And I understand there are plans for two new motels near the Interstate 24 intersection."

The Metropolis Inn Motel, situated at the Interstate 24-Route 45 intersection, is the newest of the three present motels, and has 52 a rooms. Two new motels Best Inn and Best Western have announced intentions to build near that intersection.

Meanwhile, Park Plaza Motel, situated 1.5 miles from I-24, and the American Inn, three miles from I-24 on Route 45, are planning major remodeling, including new signage, painting inside and out, and carpeting.

Owners of the motels say they are looking forward to the new gambling casino operation and a boost in the area economy that they feel it will bring.

Casino operations in Illinois and across the nation have resulted in 142 percent increase in the national gambling market over the past decade, according to a report in the "Gaming and Wagering Business," an industry publication.

Many horse track owners, especially those in Illinois, are complaining of declines in on-track betting because of casino operations. All seven Illinois horse tracks reported declines from last year ranging from 1.5 percent at Sportsman's Park in Cicero to 67 percent at Quad City Downs in East Moline, according to an Associated Press report Friday.

According to AP, owners blame the proliferation of riverboat casinos for their troubles. Track owners said the high expenses and taxes they have compared to riverboats make them unable to compete. Illinois Track owners say Mayor Richard M. Daley's proposal for a $2 billion Chicago casino gambling complex, if successful, would sound the death knell for horse racing.

Some experts - even in the racing industry - told AP, however, that the racetracks are struggling because they have failed to market themselves adequately.