Operator News
US – Haven Gaming approved to develop Danville casino in Illinois
By Phil - 8 October 2019
The Danville City Council has approved a casino proposal submitted by Haven Gaming to develop a $118m casino in Danville, Illinois.
The city council voted 12-0, unanimously approving Haven Gaming’s proposal, which aims to attract customers from Urbana and Champaign, Illinois, as well as Indiana and Wisconsin.
Illinois local, Haven member and gaming attorney Scott Sypolt said: “This is going to be an experience. We are going to create what you call a wow experience.”
Bill Bembenek, a Haven Gaming official, added: “This is more than just the typical casino. It will be a resort complex. A destination. A place that people will be excited to come to, and more importantly, more excited to want to come back to. We’ve opened similar resorts like this across the country, and this is really the new evolution of what gaming really is. It’s a multi-level experience.”
Phase 1 includes a temporary casino to open in 2020 with 500 slot machines and 10 to 20 table games along with two restaurants and a bar. Phase 2 would house three restaurants whilst Phase 3 includes a hotel, spa, pool, and convention centre.
The completed Danville casino and resort will boast 1,250 slots, 40 gaming tables, sports betting areas and bars, an entertainment venue that seats 2,500 people, a conference center, a buffet that seats 300 people, a boutique hotel, rooftop spa, and stylish restaurants. In addition, the resort will feature a pool and lazy river, along with a waterfall.
State Representative Mike Marron (R-Fithian) said: “One of the promises I made to my district was to bring home a Danville casino. The 104th District has long deserved to be included in any gaming expansion proposal to boost our flourishing tourism sector, and bring good paying, stable jobs, and new opportunities to our area.
“Haven Gaming’s proposal is truly exciting news for the 104th District –it will be a game changer for the community of Danville. Our area deserves the hope and stability that this project represents. We deserve the opportunity to redefine our local economy in a positive way, bring in hundreds of new jobs, and bolster tourism in our beautiful area. I look forward to seeing the progress and want to thank the countless community members whose tireless work throughout the years was essential to this becoming a reality.”
Despite a recent decline in GGR, Illinois remains the fourth biggest gambling state in the Midwest with $1.34bn behind Indiana at $2.11bn, Missouri with $1.73bn and Iowa, which generated $1.45bn. Video gambling generates $1.59bn in net income from gaming terminals. There are 32,000 gaming terminals which is expected to increase to 35,000 in 2020.
