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Harrah's Casino has taken the boat out of riverboat gambling with its grand opening Thursday in Joliet of the state's first single-level casino built on two barges.

State gaming laws still require casinos to be in the water, but a change in regulations in 1999 allows them to remain docked. And though the state's other eight floating casinos are still boats, Harrah's is the first to take full advantage of 'dockside' gambling by building a facility that resembles a Las Vegas-style casino.

'The industry is constantly re-inventing itself,' said Michael St. Pierre, senior vice president and general manager of the Joliet casino that sits on the Des Plaines River at Joliet Street. 'What we have built here puts us out front in the industry, and we will continue to change.'

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Harrah's new casino was built on two barges that allowed the construction of a 40,000-square-foot facility with 1,200 gaming positions. A skywalk connects the main pavilion to a parking garage for 1,000 cars. Harrah's has made Joliet its leasing agent for 4,000 square feet of retail space next to the parking garage. Proceeds from the leases are earmarked for the city's downtown revitalization project.

'The new casino is significant to Joliet and Illinois because [Harrah's has] taken gaming to an entirely new level,' said Joliet City Manager John Mezera. 'No one has been able to put the gaming experience on one level.'

Mezera said the city might see a modest increase in gaming revenues, which he put at just over $30 million this year.

Susan Gouinlock, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said she expects that all of the riverboats in the state will eventually do away with boats and build facilities on barges.

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'Barges are so much more customer-friendly' Gouinlock said. 'You feel like you're in a real casino because everything is on one level, the ceilings are higher and that makes it less smoky.'

Empress Casino, which operates two riverboats in Joliet, will decide by the end of the year or early next year on building a facility similar to Harrah's new casino.

Dan Marshall, Empress' treasurer and vice president of investor relations, said, 'We want to wait and see what happens with Harrah's new facility' before making a decision.

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The only other riverboat operation planning a single-level casino and eliminating its boats is Hollywood Casino in Aurora, according to Gene O'Shea, a spokesman for the Illinois Gaming Board.

Hollywood Casino began constructing a single-level casino on four barges this summer, said Alan Rosenzweig, director of marketing for Hollywood. When finished in June, the facility, which will cost $75 million, will have 53,000 square feet.

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The casinos in Rock Island and Alton have added gaming facilities on barges but still use their boats, Gouinlock said.