The official opening of the casino portion and beverage and food amenities of the Terre Haute Casino Resort, located in Terre Haute in Indiana and owned by Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI), was held on April 5.

Public opening:

The casino project represents an investment worth $290m and involves an innovative sportsbook, 36 table games and a casino floor with a thousand slot machines. Additionally, it spans 400,000 square feet and also involves regionally themed restaurants and bars involving High Limit Bar, Crossroads Center Bar, The Soda Shoppe Rockwood Bar & Grill and Four Cornered Steakhouse.

Speakers at the public opening involved: Wilhelm Construction President Phil Kenney, Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer, Mayor of Terre Haute Brandon Sakbun, Indiana State Representative Bob Heaton, General Manager of Terre Haute Casino Resort Mike Rich and CEO of CDI Bill Carstanjen. The ceremonial activities proceeded with live promotional and entertainment activities as well as a $10,000 charitable donation to St. Benedict Soup Kitchen and a commemorative ribbon cutting.

More than 2,100 visitors welcomed the formal opening and took the first step into the fresh entertainment property within the 1st hour of opening.

Commenting on the public opening, Churchill Downs Incorporated CEO, Bill Carstanjen, commented according to the official press release: “Today’s grand opening of Terre Haute Casino Resort is a time to reflect on the promises Churchill Downs made, kept and delivered for this community. An occasion like today feels like the end of all the effort to successfully get us to this point, but it’s actually just the beginning of what this project can do for Vigo County and the State of Indiana.”

In addition, Brandon Sakbun, Mayor of Terre Haute, added: “This premier gaming facility will make it possible to welcome visitors from across the Midwest, the nation and the world here to Terre Haute. The opportunity this creates for the people of our community is a true testament to the leaders who have worked on this project for years.”

Indiana’s first entertainment facility:

This new casino resort represents the first entertainment facility in Indiana by the CDI. But that’s not all, because it also represents the company’s extension into its fourteenth state.

Relatedly, the firm is slated to officially open the rest of the facility’s amenities involving a coffee shop, a rooftop lounge and a 122-room deluxe hotel on May 15 of this year. Additionally, construction of the entire project collected roughly 550 part-time and full-time permanent jobs and almost 1,000 construction jobs.

Furthermore, the developer, aka the firm, formally held a groundbreaking ceremony for the said casino resort during June two years ago, aka in 2022, with Wilhelm Construction, its construction management ally.

Terre Haute Casino Resort reveals casino and hotel opening dates:

In other news, during January of this year, Terre Haute Casino Resort has revealed via Facebook the opening dates for Terre Haute’s latest casino and hotel.

Relatedly, the deluxe hotel (May 15 opening), which includes 10 floors and is expected to have nearly 125 rooms, and a casino (April 5 opening), end up off Margaret Avenue on the east side of the city, relatively close to the intersection of Margaret and Indiana 46. As for the layout, the casino will include 34 gaming tables, 1,000 slot machines and 9 beverage and food venues.