PLAYERS CASINO TO EXPAND AT METROPOLIS

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Players International Inc. has purchased a new riverboat for its operation at Lake Charles, La., and may move the Louisiana boat to its Metropolis site.

"We're weighing possibilities of running two boats here," said Pat Rogers, general manager of the Metropolis operation.

The Players II, which has operated at Lake Charles since the riverboat casino opened there in early 1994, is much larger than the Players I, which was the first Players International Inc. riverboat casino that opened in Metropolis in March 1993.

"We can ask Illinois for permission to operate both boats, or we can replace the Players I with the larger Players II," Rogers said.

Players' gambling license permits the company to operate 1,200 gambling positions on its riverboat casino.

Players I has about 750 gambling positions -- craps, blackjacks, Caribbean poker, roulette and slot machines. Once an expansion project is finished, that will increase to 850 positions, Rogers said. "If we keep both riverboats, we'll reconfigure both boats to make more room on them."

Players would increase its capacity and gambling spots with Players II.

The larger boat from Lake Charles would give the company an additional 10,000 square feet of casino space and a couple hundred gambling positions.

In comparing the two boats, Rogers said the current Metropolis boat had 20,000 square feet of casino space, capacity for about 1,500 passengers, including crew, and three operational decks.

The Players II riverboat has 30,000 square feet, capacity for about 2,000 passengers, including crew, four operational decks, and would be fitted for about 1,050 gambling positions.

If both boats operated at Metropolis, they would combine for more than 50,000 square feet of casino space, with a capacity for 3,500 people and 1,200 gambling positions.

"We do need more capacity here," Rogers said. "There are times on weekends and holidays when potential visitors are placed on standby, and must wait another cruise to board."

The Players I cruises every two hours, starting at 9 a.m. daily.

The larger boat at Metropolis would bring add jobs at the casino, which employs about 600 people.

The Metropolis operation has been a successful one for Players, drawing more than 5,500 visitors daily to the small Southern Illinois community.

Three new motels have been built, including Players Hotel, near the casino along the Ohio River. Two of the new motels are at Interstate 57 and Route 45, four miles from the casino.

A number of new restaurants have cropped up along Ferry Street, which leads to the riverboat landing. Also new in town are a local taxi and limousine service, a flea market and the 350-seat Merv Griffin Theater.