Newest Indiana floating casino set to open

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 9:20 a.m.

Its Glory of Rome riverboat, which is touted as the world's largest gaming vessel, will hold its first two-hour gaming session at 5 p.m. EST. Passengers will begin boarding for the last session of the day at 11 p.m.

Beginning Saturday, the sessions will begin at 11 a.m.

The electrical problems, which affected the casino's computer system, prevented the casino from opening as originally scheduled at 9 a.m. today.

Another mechanical glitch has kept the boat dockside despite trial gambling runs on Monday. A generator on the boat had failed two days earlier, forcing the riverboat to remain docked. It will remain there for a few more days.

The riverboat is the centerpiece of Caesars Indiana's $300 million entertainment and resort complex, which will grow to include a 500-room hotel, an entertainment and dining pavilion and a parking garage.

The Indiana Gaming Commission on Monday granted Caesars Indiana a license to operate the 452-foot-long riverboat. The vessel is moored in Harrison County, about 10 miles southwest of Louisville, Ky.

The ornate, four-deck Glory of Rome has about 2,800 slot machines and can handle 5,000 passengers and crew members. It will be Indiana's fourth riverboat on the Ohio River and the ninth in the state.

Only three of the decks will be open for the next few days, reducing the capacity to 3,000 people.