Casino Developer Excited About Potential for Growth
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe chairman of the company developing a new casino in Terre Haute says he hopes the project will serve as a catalyst for future development. Last month, the Indiana Gaming Commission awarded Spectacle Jack LLC a vacant license to build the 100,000-square-foot facility along I-70 on the east side of Vigo County. Greg Gibson says he always felt the property, which consisted of corn fields when he acquired it, had to be the next area for Terre Haute to grow.
In an interview with our partners at WTHI-TV, Greg Gibson said the casino is going to be the type of project that people aren’t used to.
“I want it to be nicer than what people expect; I want it to be a great facility,” said Gibson. “I think it helps build our attitude that Terre Haute is a great place. With our partnership with Hard Rock, probably the most well known and most successful name in the gaming industry right now, that’ll really help us.”
The license had been previously owned by Indianapolis-based Spectacle Entertainment for one of the two Majestic Star casinos. Legislation signed by Governor Eric Holcomb in 2019 allowed Spectacle to consolidate the casinos into one in downtown Gary and move the vacant license to Vigo County.
However, other casino operators had the opportunity to compete for the license. Spectacle Jack, a subsidiary of Spectacle Entertainment, was the only operator that made a bid.
Gibson says the location the property will be key to the casino’s success.
“We’re in a great location right on the interstate so there’s a lot of traffic going by the site every day and I think we’ll draw a lot of people from eastern Illinois. We’re very close to the Indianapolis market and it’s grown a lot towards Terre Haute; Plainfield has exploded and so I’ve always thought it makes sense for Terre Haute and Vigo County to focus on that area for its development.”
Gibson says he believes the casino will draw more investment and development, perhaps even so far as a new interchange on I-70.
“It’s estimated it’ll be 1.1 million visitors to Vigo County and Terre Haute and what that’s going to do for the hotels, the restaurants, to stimulate new growth…Terre Haute is becoming a tourism destination and it’s many things that’s causing that but I think the casino is really going to put that over the top.”
Gibson adds the community effort to bring the casino project to life has been critical.
In part two of the WTHI interview, Gibson talked about the growth of development in downtown Terre Haute, including the planned convention center. You can watch the interview by clicking here.