Players International

Players International was a company, based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that built and operated riverboat casinos and a horse racing track.

[1] The company was originally known for its "Player's Club," a service which offered discounts on rooms, shows and dining at various casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and outside the country.

Also in 1995, the company purchased Bluegrass Downs, a small horse racing track in Paducah, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Metropolis.

Players hoped that the Kentucky legislature would eventually legalize casino gaming at its horse tracks (a concept now known as a racino), and that the purchase would serve to stem any potential competition for the Metropolis boat.

[citation needed] The company's final major project was a third riverboat casino facility in Maryland Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

[1] The company started to feel the effects of increased competition from further legalization of casinos throughout the country, and turned its focus to its existing operations in 1997.