BRIDGEPORT, Ind. — The world's largest floating casino appears to have turned the corner after a problem-plagued inaugural year.

        Revenues at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino were an estimated $185 million for 2000, compared with $157 million in 1999.

        “We're finally starting to live up to the expectations,” said Bar ry Morris, Caesars' general manager. “The investment is definitely beginning to pay off.”

        The $425 million project, with its four-deck Glory of Rome riverboat, is just downriver from Louisville in Harrison County, Ind. It has about 2,100 full-time and part-time employees.

        Now, visitors find a 400-seat buffet, an upscale restaurant, conference center and a concert stage.

        Gambling opponents have a dif ferent take on the operation's rising revenues. The $180 million the riverboat won from gamblers last year did little to help the local economy, said Walter Schulz, a lobbyist for the Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. National studies show that jobs created at casinos are offset by those lost at other locations, he said.

        Caesars paid $91 million in wagering and admissions taxes to the state between January 1999 and December 2000.

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