Horseshoe Southern Indiana casino in Elizabeth has been closed since Thursday, February 22 due to rising floodwaters on the Ohio River. The venue is losing about $731,113 per day and the state is losing an average of $255,049 a day in tax revenue, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Horseshoe officials announced all scheduled promotions, events and entertainment would be canceled until further notice. Lizzet Verdi, marketing and entertainment manager, stated, “It’s never an ideal situation when we have to close any part of the property for any length of time, but the safety of our guests and team members comes first. During this unexpected occurrence, we were able to provide our team members peace of mind by continuing to pay them their normal wages during the closure.”
The river crested on Monday, March 26, meaning the 5,000-person capacity casino is likely to remain closed for several more days. The facility’s Army Corps of Engineers permit requires it to shut down when visitors cannot safely reach it because of flooding across the roadway.
The casino has shut down at least five times due to high water. The last round of serious flooding occurred in 2011; hotel guests were awakened and asked to leave as the Ohio River began to rise.
