Churchill Downs renames Terre Haute casino project

The upcoming casino hotel is dropping the "queen" from its name.

01/31/23

The casino resort under construction will no longer be called The Queen of Terre Haute.

US.- Churchill Downs Incorporated has announced that it has changed the name of its upcoming Terre Haute casino development. Now it’s simply Terre Haute Casino Resort. The company said the move was made to streamline branding efforts.

CDI said the word “queen”, although removed from the name of the project, will still be referenced in the casino’s logo. It said the casino and hotel’s design plans remain focused on representing Terre Haute’s history and culture, with food and beverage amenities referring to them “in interesting and recognizable ways.”

The casino is under construction in Vigo County, Indiana, and is expected to open in March 2024. Costs are estimated at $290m for a venue covering 400,000 square feet, with 56,000 square feet of gaming space featuring 1,000 slots and around 50 table games. There will be a 125-room hotel and nine food and beverage venues.

In December, CDI updated its plans. The new design removes a rooftop pool on the casino resort’s hotel and places a larger pool in a separate ground-level building. The casino’s Crossroad Sports Bar will have larger screens and two viewing areas.

Additionally, an outdoor gaming area with slot machines will be “covered and secured but will have louvres on the perimeter of the building so it allows fresh air to come in and out of the building to allow guests to have a feeling of being outside, and they may smoke and game.” The area will have a high-limit gaming area and VIP lounge.

CDI broke ground in June, and structures should be erected by March 2023. Work on exterior enclosures is planned for January to June 2023 while interior work will begin in March. The project is expected to create 500 jobs and generate an annual economic impact of $190m.

Last March, Terre Haute City Council approved Churchill Downs’ request to rezone nearly 50 acres to build the resort.