Connect With Us

Inside INdiana Business
Subscribe Now Log In
  • Home
  • News
    • Education
    • Health
    • Tech
    • STEM
    • Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics
    • Life Sciences
    • Ag INnovation
    • INPower
  • Videos
  • Big Wigs
    • Submit Big Wigs
  • Events
    • Engage Central Indiana – Indianapolis
    • Engage Northeast Indiana – Fort Wayne
    • Engage West Central Indiana – Terre Haute
    • Engage Greater Lafayette – West Lafayette
    • Engage Northwest Indiana – Valparaiso
    • Engage South Bend – Elkhart
    • Engage Southwest Indiana – Evansville
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • On-Air
    • TV & Radio Listings
  • Contact
    • About IIB
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Gift Cards
    • Flagship Stations
    • Gerry’s Message
    • Speaking Engagement Request

Connect With Us

Churchill Downs to Operate Terre Haute Casino

Wednesday, November 17, 2021 07:37 PM EDT Updated: Thursday, November 18, 2021 09:27 AM EDT
By Alex Brown
Churchill Downs Casino Rendering
(rendering courtesy of Churchill Downs Inc.)

The Indiana Gaming Commission has selected Kentucky-based Churchill Downs Inc. (Nasdaq: CHDN) as the operator for the new casino in Terre Haute. However, the company will not receive the Vigo County gaming license just yet. The commission said Wednesday an appeal of its decision to not renew the license for Terre Haute-based Lucy Luck Gaming must still be resolved.

In the meantime, Churchill Downs will receive a “certificate of suitability,” which will allow the company to begin the process of establishing a casino.

Churchill Downs proposed a $240 million project known as the Queen of Terre Haute, to be built on nearly 21 acres of land on Honey Creek Drive west of the Haute City Shopping Mall, according to documents filed with the commission.

The nearly 400,000-square-foot casino building will include 56,000 square feet of gaming space featuring 1,000 slots and 50 table games. The project also includes a 125-room hotel. Churchill Downs says the project would create more than 500 full-time and part-time jobs.

“We are thrilled for this opportunity and honored for the trust that the Indiana Gaming Commission has placed in CDI and our plan to bring a true destination casino resort to West Central Indiana,” Bill Carstanjen, chief executive officer of CDI, said in a news release.

When it was first introduced in September, Churchill Downs said the project would generate $190 million in annual economic impact for the region, according to estimates from Purdue University economists.

According to our partners at WTHI-TV, Churchill Downs will have 180 days to obtain a local development agreement for the project.

A total of four proposals were presented to land the gaming license. Each developer was given time Wednesday afternoon to present their projects to the commission and answer questions.

Hard Rock International and Premier Gaming Group were eliminated after the first round of voting by commissioners. Full House Resorts Inc. (Nasdaq: FLL) , which operates Rising Star Casino in Ohio County, was the runner up.

The Vigo County gaming license was originally awarded to Lucy Luck Gaming, which was developing a $175 million casino. However, the commission denied a renewal of the license in June, which the developer later appealed.

Earlier this week, the commission rejected a settlement offer from Lucy Luck that, among other conditions, would have seen Hard Rock International take over the development and operation of the proposed casino.

A timeline for a decision on Lucy Luck’s appeal is not yet known. However, the commission says Churchill Downs can request an extension of the Certificate of Suitability beyond the 180-day limit.

Story Continues Below

Most Popular Stories

  • Catalent cuts 150 leadership, support jobs in Bloomington

  • Nursing organization CEO to retire, new leader named

  • Here’s who Holcomb appointed to commissions, boards

  • Mobile integrated health closes health care gap in Monticello

  • Study: Small modular nuclear could bring energy benefits for Purdue

  • Applications open for ‘Best Places to Work in Manufacturing’

Perspectives

Two cooks in the kitchen? Dealing with leadership overlap

Two cooks in the kitchen? Dealing with leadership overlap

Businesses go through leadership transitions for many reasons, including retirements, resignations, buyouts, and more. What happens when a transition occurs, and the previous owner is still in the picture?...

Inside INdiana Business

Inside INdiana Business
A division of IBJ Media

1 Monument Circle, Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204

PHONE: (317) 634-6200

FAX: (317) 263-5060

NEWSLETTER@IIBNEWS.COM

  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Gerry Dick
  • Newsletters
  • On-Air
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy | Terms of Service