American hotel and casino entertainment company, Caesars Entertainment Inc. (CZR), formerly Eldorado Resorts Inc., has revealed a $32.5 million expansion and enhancement plan for its Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. The revitalization project is expected to create over 100 new casino jobs and millions in additional local and state gaming tax revenue.

The Nevada-based company detailed that the investment, which strengthens its commitment to the state of Indiana, will see nearly 25,000 square feet of gaming space added to the horse track racino’s current 70,000 square foot gaming floor, including considerable updates to design and architectural features property-wide.

President and Chief Operating Officer for Caesars Entertainment Inc., Anthony Carano said in the official news release …

“This investment at Indiana Grand is a testament to our continued commitment to Indiana.” Adding that the company is “dedicated to enhancing and upgrading our operations at all of our locations, and we’re excited to start on several new phases of renovation and expansion in Shelbyville.”

New gaming amenities:

Expansion of the north end of the Indiana casino adds 100 new slot machines to the already more than 2,200 mix of reel, video, and poker machines, while 25 additional table games will join an existing lot of live and electronic table games. New gaming chairs will also be added.

Other new gaming amenities include a 5,000 square foot, 20-table WSOP (World Series of Poker) Poker Room “named for and carrying the spirit of the legendary World Series of Poker, the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world.” According to Caesars Entertainment, the new live poker room will offer a “premium experience” with qualifiers for WSOP land-based tournaments including the series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas, WSOP Main Event.

Preliminary plans also include the addition of a 20-seat video poker bar with large 65″ LCD overhead screens and new surface parking.

Indianapolis-based Wilhelm Construction will begin expansion and renovation work on April 1, 2021, to be completed prior to the year’s end.

Long-awaited expansion:

Senior Vice President and General Manager for Indiana Grand, Mike Rich also commented on the gaming expansion, stating that they’ve looked forward to expanding their gaming operations since the implementation of table games in early 2020, and…

“This growth will allow us to accommodate more guests and add more talented Team Members to the Indiana Grand family, and with the addition of a state-of-the-art Poker Room, we will expand our casino offerings to include some of the most notable programs in the United States, including World Series of Poker.”

According to the news release, further details regarding new entertainment, hospitality, and culinary offerings, subject to City and Indiana Gaming Commission approval, are expected in the coming months.

William Hill acquisition:

Caesars Entertainment is reportedly expecting to complete its $3.7 billion acquisition of London-listed land-based and online sports betting firm William Hill by April 1, 2021, after the Las Vegas-based company earlier revealed it anticipated being able to finalize the purchase during the second quarter of the year after receiving all of the necessary regulatory approvals.