After a three-week delay, the city’s fourth riverboat-Harrah’s Southern Star-began ferrying gamblers Wednesday afternoon.
The three-deck boat is built to look like the paddlewheel boats that plied the Mississippi River a century ago. It will cast off from a dock site adjacent to the Northern Star in Joliet’s City Center.
Both boats are operated by Harrah’s, a division of the Promus Cos.
The Southern Star’s arrival was delayed by an electrical fire that broke out while the boat was en route to Joliet. Damage was reported to be slight.
Both the Northern Star and the Southern Star will make six cruises daily with a seventh cruise added to the Southern Star on weekends and holidays.
The new boat is 210 feet long and can accommodate 750 people, 350 slot machines and 30 gaming tables. It features two floors of gambling, including a non-smoking level. There is also a banquet area.
Last month, Empress II set sail, joining its sister ship the Empress. Both are owned by the Empress River Casino Corp. Each Empress boat makes seven daily cruises from a dock on the Des Plaines River on the city’s far southwest side.