Churchill Downs, Hard Rock, 2 others vie to build casino in Terre Haute
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — By Wednesday’s deadline, four companies submitted applications to state commissioners to build a casino in Terre Haute.
The license to build a Terre Haute casino became available in June after the Indiana Gaming Commission unanimously declined to renew the license for Lucy Luck Gaming. The business had received a license in May 2020 to build Rocksino at a cost of $125 million, but was beset by issues including the creation of an executive team and a lack of funding. Lucy Luck has appealed the decision.
The four companies that submitted applications, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission:
- Louisville, Kentucky-based Churchill Downs, under a limited liability corporation called CDITH. Churchill Downs said in a news release that its casino, The Queen of Terre Haute, would include 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games, a sportsbook and a 125-room hotel.
- Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts Inc., under a limited liability corporation called FHR-Atlas. Full House currently operates five casinos, including Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Indiana.
- Hard Rock, under a limited liability corporation called HR Terre Haute. Hard Rock has 12 casinos, including Hard Rock Northern Indiana that opened in May in Gary. Two more Hard Rock casinos are under development in Ottawa, Ontario, and Rockford, Illinois.
- Premier Gaming Group, which is based in a Cincinnati suburb in Kentucky, and the limited liability corporation called Terre Haute Entertainment. Premier owns and operates the Magnolia Bluffs Casino & Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi.
The Indiana Gaming Commission will examine the applications and later determine a date for choosing an applicant.