Flood worries prompt closure of Metropolis casino - BusinessWeek

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The Harrah's casino and hotel in the far southern Illinois tourism city of Metropolis was closed indefinitely Wednesday because of flooding concerns along the Ohio River.

The casino said in a statement on its website that it made the move to ensure the safety

of its operations, guests and workers.

The 36,000-square-foot casino and its related hotel are along the Ohio River, which for days has been swollen and is expected to remain that way perhaps into next week.

The casino -- part of the Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment Corp., the world's biggest casino operator -- is a fixture in Metropolis, which decades ago adopted Superman as its favorite son.

Calls to the casino seeking comment Wednesday were greeting by the recorded announcement that it was closed. Messages were not immediately returned.

Last month, Caesars Entertainment reported a roughly $197 million loss over the last three months of 2010 -- compared with net income of $295.6 million a year earlier -- as gamblers kept a tight rein on their spending. Though privately held, Caesars reports its financial results because it has a significant amount of publicly traded debt.

A message also was left with a spokesman for Caesars Entertainment, a casino and resort operator whose holdings also include Bally's and Flamingo sites.




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