The Caesars World/Riverboat Development Incorporated partnership had already spent $11 million on making necessary improvements to use the newly acquired property.
Environmental groups lodged similar complaints due to concerns regarding the potential negative impact of the proposed development on local air quality, waterways, and wildlife. Louisville officials attempted to delay the construction of Caesars Indiana, who wanted to protect the gambling revenue of Churchill Downs and other Kentucky horse racing interests. They chose a site near Bridgeport, Indiana, an unincorporated town located immediately on the Harrison County side of the Harrison County/Floyd County border the site is fifteen miles (24 km) southwest of Louisville, Kentucky (Kentucky's largest metropolis), and was selected after performing a study to determine the nearest accessible location (to the city) that would permit a riverboat casino to operate legally.
The initial plan of the Caesars World/Riverboat Development Incorporated partnership was for the complex to cost $228 million, but by early 1998 the projected cost was raised to $275 million.
