Harrah’s Casino in Metropolis, Illinois reopened March 15 after flooding on the Ohio River caused it to close on February 25. Spokesman Chad Lewis had said, “There is no revenue coming in. There are no tax dollars being generated from that revenue. There is no tourist coming into town. It doesn’t really shut everything down, but we see a decrease in activity.” Lewis traveled by boat to reach the casino during the closure. He said the last time the casino closed due to flooding was in 2011.
The interior pavilion had only minimal damage. “We did have a lot of employees coming in these last few weeks. They started cleaning the inside of the facility, because the casino never did flood and the hotel never flooded,” Lewis said. Many of Harrah’s 490 employees also have been removing debris from the parking lot, and several have been volunteering in the community. Employees were paid during the closure, Lewis said.
