A new plan was announced this week for the Tropicana Evansville casino to move to a land-based facility from the riverboat location after a new state law was enacted that allows the ten riverboat casinos of Indiana to create land-based options near their current location. The Tropicana Evansville will be moving from the Ohio River to a facility costing $50 million.

The Tropicana would be the first to make the jump from the water to land, trying to compete with other casinos that are located in states nearby. The plan for the Tropicana Evansville would see the construction of a 75,000 square foot casino located between their two existing hotels which are currently across the street from the riverboat. The construction is set to begin in 2016 and would have a time frame of around 18 months.

Before the project can proceed next year, the casino will have to get approval from the officials of the city and the Indiana Gaming Commission. Describing the new building, the general manager of the casino, John Chaszar, stated the new building will be a multipurpose casino as well as an entertainment facility.

Over the past few years, the casinos in Indiana have seem major declines due to gambling popping up in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, with the loss of hundreds of jobs in the process. Officials in Indiana feel that the change in the law, to allow casinos to move on land, will be beneficial to the state and allow for more of a level playing field to compete with other states.