Harrah's Metropolis is a

riverboat casino A riverboat casino is a type of casino on a riverboat found in several states in the United States with frontage on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, or along the Gulf Coast. Several states authorized this type of casino in order to en ...

located on the Ohio River in

Metropolis, Illinois Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States. It has a population of 6,537 according to the 2010 United States Census. Metropolis is the county seat of Massac County and is part of the Paducah, ...

. It opened in 1994 as Players Island, a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

between

Players International Players International was a company, based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that built and operated riverboat casinos and a horse racing track. History The company was founded by brothers David and Edward Fishman in 1984. The company was originall ...

and show business

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. H ...

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own t ...

as one of the state's first casinos. The property became part of

Harrah's Entertainment Harrah's Entertainment (later named Caesars Entertainment Corporation, previously The Promus Companies) was an American casino and hotel company founded in Reno, Nevada, and based in Paradise, Nevada, that operated over 50 properties and seven g ...

(later Caesars Entertainment) with its 2000 acquisition of Players International. In 2014, Harrah's was given permission from the

Illinois Gaming Board Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) is a gaming board in Illinois that controls the state's gaming industry. The Board controls a regulatory and tax collection for video gaming and riverboat casinos. The Board has a five members, selected by the Govern ...

to move its gaming floor from its riverboat to the property's convention center. Illinois law requires that gambling floors be over water, but does not require that they be located on a navigable river. This was achieved by installing water bladders underneath the building. In October 2017, ownership was transferred to

Vici Properties Vici Properties Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in casino properties, based in New York City. It was formed in 2017 as a spin-off from Caesars Entertainment Corporation as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. It owns ...

as part of a

corporate spin-off A corporate spin-off, also known as a spin-out, or starburst or hive-off, is a type of corporate action where a company "splits off" a section as a separate business or creates a second incarnation, even if the first is still active. Charact ...

, and the property was leased back to Caesars. Harrah's Metropolis includes a casino with more than 800

slot machine A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine ( Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively ...

s and 25 table games, a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

with 258 rooms, a showroom, and five restaurants.

References

External links

Harrah's Metropolis website
Casinos in Illinois Caesars Entertainment Buildings and structures in Massac County, Illinois Hotel buildings completed in 1994 Riverboat casinos Tourist attractions in Massac County, Illinois 1994 establishments in Illinois {{Casino-stub

See also

References

External links