Caesars Indiana

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Caesars Indiana
Facts and statistics
Address	11999 Avenue of Emperors Elizabeth, Indiana 47117
Casino type	Riverboat
Theme	The Roman Empire
Owner	Harrah's Entertainment
No. of rooms	503
Notable restaurants	Portico
Website	www.caesars.com/caesars/Indiana/

Caesars Indiana, formerly the RDI/Caesars Riverboat Casino, LLC,^[1] is a riverboat casino operated by Harrah's Entertainment. Opened in 1998, it is located outside the community of Elizabeth, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. The complex is located at the Harrison County line. This is the closest location to Louisville and other cities as is legally possible as casino gambling is not legal in neighboring Floyd County.

The complex includes the four-deck Glory of Rome riverboat, which houses the gaming area; it is the largest riverboat in the United States, and the world's largest riverboat casino. Other amenities include a hotel, a pavilion with four restaurants and a showroom, two parking decks, and a golf course.

On July 15, 2008, the casino will be rebranded Horseshoe Southern Indiana after a $53 million renovation by Harrah's.^[2]

[edit] Construction

On November 8, 1994, a ballot proposal to allow riverboat gambling was passed by the residents of Harrison County, Indiana, following legislation passed by the Indiana state government to allow such gambling in the Hoosier state. In January 1995 five different proposals were given to the Indiana Gaming Commission in order to begin a riverboat gambling organization in Harrison County. Over a year passed before the proposition by the partnership of the ITT Corporation's Caesar's division and Riverboat Development Incorporated (RDI) was approval, granting the Caesar's World/Riverboat Development Incorporated partnership the preliminary license in May 1996.^[3]

The initial plan of the Caesar's World/Riverboat Development Incorporated partnership was for the complex to cost $228 million dollars, but by early 1998 the projected cost was raised to $275 million. They chose a site near Bridgeport, Indiana, an unincorporated town, placed immediately on the Harrison County side of the Harrison County/Floyd County border; the closest a riverboat casino could come legally to Louisville, Kentucky, which is fifteen miles (24 km) southwest of Kentucky's largest metropolis. Attempts to delay the construction of Caesars Indiana by Louisville officials, who wanted to protect the gambling revenue of Churchill Downs and other Kentucky horse race interests, and environmental extremists were committed by fretting about what the proposed Caesars Indiana would do to the immediate air quality, waterways, and wildlife of the building site. The Caesar's World/Riverboat Development Incorporated partnership had already spent $11 million dollars on making necessary improvements to use the newly-acquired property. A preliminary study by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in February 1998 determined that further environmental studies, which would have delayed the building of the necessary facilities for Caesars Indiana, were not necessary. However, the United States Army Corps of Engineers did tell the Caesar's World/Riverboat Development Incorporated partnership that they would have to be careful as to how many trees were cleared, and what would happen to runoff water.^[4]

Caesars Indiana was finally opened to the public on November 20, 1998. It was initially supposed to start in the Summer of 1998, but interference by three different Indiana environmental extremist groups issuing lawsuits, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (due to the United States Army Corps of Engineers saying a full environmental study was unnecessary), and heavy rains in the Spring of 1998 delayed the opening. A very important person cruise on November 16, 1998, was the first sailing of the riverboat.^[5]

[edit] Post-1998

Caesar's Indiana riverboat and complex in 2007

Since 1998, Caesars Indiana has employed 2,400 people. It has been studied that Caesars Indiana has cost the state of Kentucky $12 million in lottery revenue on an annual basis.^[6] As Kentucky attained statehood (1792) before Indiana (1816), it claims ownership of the entire Ohio River that borders the two states, and has often threatened to stop operations of The Glory of Rome. Notably, a resolution proposed in the Kentucky House in 2002 called for "the purchase of a submarine to patrol the waters of the Commonwealth and search and destroy all casino riverboats."^[7] However, the non-binding resolution never came up for a vote, and its sponsor said the resolution was in jest, and to protest Kentucky's continued prohibition of gambling.^[8]

From June 7 to June 19, 1999, Caesars Indiana was shut down due to a river barge hitting The Glory of Rome and due to excessive silt at its mooring site.^[9] It shut down again from March 20 to the 23rd in 2008 due to unusually high river levels.^[10]

As part of its continual existence, the state of Indiana requires Caesars Indiana to give money to two different foundations in Harrison and Floyd Counties.^[11]

Caesars Indiana was given as an example to discredit Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher's claims that Kentucky casinos would cause prostitution during the 2007 Kentucky governors race.^[12]

In recent years, Caesars Indiana has co-sponsored Thunder Over Louisville.^[13]

An April 18, 2008 Illinois earthquake caused Caesars to lose electrical power, and having to rely on backup generators.^[14]

[edit] Specifics

The main focus of the Caesars Indiana complex is The Glory of Rome, a four-story boat that is the largest riverboat in North America. It is also the largest riverboat casino in the world. It cost $50 million dollars to construct. It is 452 feet (138 m) long, 100 feet (30 m) wide, with a total area of 173,200 square feet (16,090 m²). It has four 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) Z-Drives. The smokestacks rise 100 feet (30 m) from the waterline, with eight feet below the waterline. The 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m²) casino with in The Glory of Rome can hold 5,223 passengers and a crew of 101, with 3,600 gaming positions, 2,800 slot machines, and over 140 gaming tables.^{[15] [16]}

In a year 2000 study by the state of Indiana, 51.4% of Caesars Indiana's employees are female, 12.9% are minorities, and 42.3% of employees coming from places other than Harrison, Floyd, and Clark County, Indiana. Only 30% of the 4.5 million admissions to the casino were of Indiana residents. There were 68 arrests that year, mostly due to public drunkenness.^[17]

Besides The Glory of Rome, Caesars Indiana also includes a nature preserve, four restaurants, conference center, hotel, shopping center, and a nearby golf course with an equestrian theme called Chariot Run.^{[18] [19]}

Due to the ownership of Caesar's World having changed hands, Caesar's Indiana was ran by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Incorporated, and then to Park Place Entertainment Corporation. It is currently owned by Harrah's.^[20]

Since the Indiana legislature voted in 2002 to allow casino riverboats to dock permanently, the Glory of Rome no longer leaves the dock.^[21]

[edit] Transportation

Bus shuttles to Caesars Indiana from Indianapolis and Louisville are made available, with reservations available.^[22]

The facility includes a four-level parking garage, and is primarily accessed by Indiana 111. Although it is located directly across the river from Southwest Louisville, due to the lack of a bridge, Louisvillians must drive north first through New Albany to reach Caesars. During various parts of the planning of the Ohio River Bridges Project, a bridge connecting Louisville directly to Indiana 111 has been proposed, with a primary advantage being easier access to Caesars.^[23] However, as of 2008, no plans existed for such a bridge.

[edit] See also

• List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Caesars Indiana Website