Indiana to reopen licence process for Hard Rock casino

The Indiana Gaming Commission won’t renew Lucy Luck Gaming’s licence to operate the $175m Hard Rock casino in Terre Haute.

US.- The new Hard Rock casino planned in Terre Haute, Indiana, has failed to gain a renewal of its gaming licence in an Indiana Gaming Commission vote.

The IGC opted not to renew the licence for Lucy Luck Gaming to operate the casino. As a result, the licence application process for the venue will be reopened.

Developers of the casino had announced they were about to break ground on the $175m development, but the commission found that the company had yet to hire an executive team to run the operation and to secure full financing for it.

Murray Clark, an attorney for Lucy Luck, told The Tribune-Star: “We haven’t closed on the financing because we don’t have financing approval. Other than that, I’m not clear on why this statement of ‘We’re not fully funded’.

Lucy Luck chairman Greg Gibson said: “It truly saddens me to know that the Terre Haute license will be open for a bidding process amongst companies who will be interested in the project solely for monetary gain, and with companies who don’t know our community like Lucy Luck does.

“For me, this project has always been about Terre Haute; it’s been about my home community. Terre Haute deserves this casino, and I wish it could be alongside Lucy Luck Gaming.”