Rising Star Owner Trying Again For Terre Haute Casino
Rising Star is one of the first companies in southeast Indiana to take advantage of the statewide assistance program.
The owner of Rising Star Casino Resort in Ohio County is once again looking to bring gaming to Terre Haute. Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts Inc. (Nasdaq: FLL) says it plans to reintroduce to the Indiana General Assembly a proposal allowing it to relocate its unused gambling games at Rising Star to a new location in the Vigo County city.
A similar proposal was introduced by State Senator Jon Ford (R-38) in 2017, but did not make it out of committee. The company says the main concern among legislators was that the bill unfairly favored a single casino operator. A new proposal was introduced in 2018 that would have allowed other casino owners to compete for a Terre Haute casino.
Daniel Lee, chief executive officer of Full House Resorts, says while the company continues to invest millions of dollars in Rising Sun, the expansion of gaming in neighboring states has ensured that many of its authorized games will never be needed in that market.
"Rather than close and move the Rising Star Casino Resort, we would prefer to compete for the opportunity by relocating our unused games to a new facility in Terre Haute," said Lee. "We believe that creates a win-win for Rising Sun, Terre Haute, and all of Indiana."
The news follows last month’s announcement that Indianapolis-based Spectacle Entertainment is planning to acquire the parent of the Majestic Star casinos in Gary and move one of its gaming licenses to another location, with Terre Haute being considered. Full House Resorts Chief Development Officer Alex Stolyar says the Wabash Valley area is getting more notice.
"Their proposal supports our thesis that Terre Haute is a prime location to allocate the state’s unused gaming resources to maximize benefit for Indiana," said Stolyar. "We look forward to an opportunity to compete with all interested operators to present the best proposal for Terre Haute and for Indiana."