Churchill Downs wins Indiana’s Vigo County casino licence

Four companies were hoping to get the license to build a casino in Terre Haute, Vigo County.

US.- The Indiana Gaming Commission has granted the Vigo County casino licence to Churchill Downs in a 7-0 vote. The operator will gain a licence to build and operate the Queen of Terre Haute casino. After six hours and a couple of votes, the commission picked Churchill Downs over Full House Resorts.

The other two companies that applied for the licence were Hard Rock and Premier Gaming Group. At the public hearing in Indianapolis, each of the four applicants gave a 30-minute breakdown of their visions for a Terre Haute casino.

Churchill Downs says it will invest $190m, with $110m for construction of a 392,816-square-foot facility, creating 1,000 construction jobs. The casino portion of the building would measure 56,400 square feet and host 1,000 slot machines and 50 game tables.

It also plans a 10-storey, 125-room luxury hotel and TwinSpires sportsbook. Churchill Downs projects its casino will produce $638.9m in gross gaming receipts in the first five years and will receive 6.7 million visitors. The project is expected to create 500 permanent jobs

The company envisions an entertainment space with seating for 500 patrons. The facility would have a maximum capacity of 6,600 people. The connecting hotel’s capacity will be 900, with standard, junior and executive suites as well as a presidential suite. The complex would include Indiana-themed art.

Bill Carstanjen, chief executive officer of Churchill Downs, said: “We will do right by this decision… We’re getting started right now.” He expects the casino to be up and running within 12-16 months.

Churchill Downs is the owner of about a dozen casinos and five racing facilities, including Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the legendary Kentucky Derby horse race every May.

The licence to build the Terre Haute casino in Vigo County became available in June after the Indiana Gaming Commission unanimously declined to renew the licence for Lucy Luck Gaming. Lucky Luck, formerly Spectacle Jack, was the only applicant for the casino project in 2019.

See also: Four companies vie to build casino in Terre Haute, Indiana