In the American state of Indiana and casino operator Churchill Downs Incorporated reportedly finished top of a crowded field yesterday to be awarded with the right to bring a gambling-friendly facility to the city of Terre Haute.

According to a report from the local Tribune-Star newspaper published by Yahoo! News, the Louisville-headquartered firm received unanimous approval from the seven-member Indiana Gaming Commission on Wednesday evening and now hopes to have opened its 392,816 sq ft Queen of Terre Haute Casino Resort by the end of next year. The company purportedly detailed that the $110 million development will eventually feature a 125-room hotel alongside a 56,400 sq ft casino featuring 1,000 slots as well as 50 gaming tables and a TwinSpires-branded sportsbook.

Likely location:

In winning the casino license for Vigo County and Churchill Downs Incorporated reportedly beat out competition from rivals Hard Rock International, Full House Resorts Incorporated and Premier Gaming Group. Unlike its challengers, which had been hoping to construct their venues in the southeast corner of the city near to the junction of Interstate 70 with State Road 46, the operator is now purportedly set to bring its latest property to a 20.9-acre site situated some five miles to the west near the Haute City Center Mall.

Bumper benefits:

Churchill Downs Incorporated is already responsible for the 140,000 sq ft Rivers Casino Des Plains facility in the neighboring state of Illinois and reportedly disclosed that its coming Queen of Terre Haute Casino Resort development will provide full-time employment for some 500 people while creating at least 1,000 temporary construction jobs. The Kentucky-based operator furthermore purportedly explained that the completed facility will annually welcome approximately 1.3 million gaming patrons and produce in the region of $638.9 million in gross gaming receipts over the course of its first five years.

Meeting material:

Bill Carstanjen serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Churchill Downs Incorporated and he reportedly told the newspaper that his firm’s envisioned Indiana venue is to additionally come complete with the 500-seat Special Events Room to compliment the community’s recently-opened Terre Haute Convention Center. The boss purportedly asserted that the entire development will also display unique artwork themed around local icons such as the hobble skirt-shaped Coca-Cola bottle and former National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Larry Bird while expecting to have welcomed in excess of 6.7 million visitors by the end of 2027.

Carstanjen reportedly told the Tribune-Star…

“Once open, we believe the Queen of Terre Haute Casino Resort and its Special Events Room will be a powerful tool to help Terre Haute attract events to its new downtown convention center. The winner here clearly is the city of Terre Haute.”