Churchill Downs opens casino portion of Terre Haute Resort in Indiana
The first phase of Churchill Downs' $290 million Terre Haute Casino Resort in Indiana has opened.
Terre Haute Casino Resort welcomed its first guests on Friday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held by top Churchill officials and state and local officials. The gaming and entertainment venue is located southeast of downtown near Terre Haute Regional Airport.
The 400,000-square-foot hotel opened with a casino floor and several restaurants and bars. The casino features 1,000 slot machines, 36 live dealer tables, and horse racing and sports betting.
"Today's grand opening of Terre Haute Casino Resort is an opportunity to reflect on the commitment that Churchill Downs has made, maintained and sustained to this community," said Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen. "Events like today's It may seem like the end of all our efforts to make this happen, but it's actually just the beginning of what this project will do for Vigo County and the state of Indiana."
In addition to the casino, the hotel will feature a steakhouse, grill, lemonade shop and two bars for the first time.
Strong start
According to casino officials, more than 2,100 guests entered the gaming area in the first hour of opening. The property already employs more than 500 permanent employees and is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in new local tax revenue for the city each year.
"This world-class gaming facility will allow Terre Haute to welcome visitors from across the Midwest, the country and the world," said Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun. The opportunities created by the people in our community are a true testament to the leaders who have worked on this project for many years.”
Terre Haute is located on the western edge of Indiana, bordering the Illinois border and the Wabash River. With approximately 58,000 residents, the city ranks 16th in population.
Terre Haute is an educational center and home to Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Ivy Tech Community College. The city's name comes from the French "terre haute," which means "high ground."
The 122-room Terre Haute Casino Resort will open on May 15, Churchill Downs officials said. The resort's outdoor pool and bar area will also be open once weather permits.
Terre Haute Casino Scandal
Churchill Downs should not be Terre Haute's casino partner. The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) originally selected Indiana-based Spectacle Entertainment.
Spectacle partnered in 2019 with Florida-based Hard Rock International, which is controlled by the Seminole Tribe. The IGC awarded Spectacle a Terre Haute casino license earlier this year after state lawmakers expanded gambling operations to a casino in west-central Indiana.
However, in January 2020, the Intergovernmental Conference launched an investigation into Spectacle. The investigation revealed that several corporate executives made illegal campaign contributions that were "essentially bribes" in exchange for favorable legislation at the state level.
The IGC fined Spectacle more than $500,000 and ordered the company to distance itself from its co-founder Rod Ratcliff. The scandal also resulted in Spectacle losing its Terre Haute license.
In May 2020, the IGC approved the transfer of the development opportunity and license to local businessman Greg Gibson, but Gibsons LLC, Lady Luck Gaming, was unable to secure financing for the project.
This resulted in the Intergovernmental Conference revoking the license and conducting another license tender process.Churchill won, beating out competing offers from Full House Resort and a new proposal from the Hard Rock Hotel, but no views emerged.
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Source: www.casino.org
