Danville casino receives preliminary suitability approval
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The four members of the Illinois Gaming Board on Thursday unanimously approved Danville Development LLC and its application being preliminary suitable for a Danville casino owners' license.
This is the next step in a Danville casino becoming reality and means construction can start on the site. Groundbreaking could occur in the next month, with construction expected to take about 11 months.
The IGB issued the finding of suitability following a public presentation demonstrating that the casino presented by Danville Development LLC meets all preliminary requirements and qualifications for board licensure. The Golden Nugget Danville casino is now one step closer to being granted an Illinois gaming license.
“We are thrilled! This is a major step in getting this project off the ground. We are pleased that the gaming board has recognized this project as viable and that it has met all the essential requirements. We are looking forward to becoming part of the amazing Danville community," James A. Wilmot, president Danville Development, LLC, said in a press release.
“The issuance of suitability for the Golden Nugget Danville Casino is momentous for Danville and Vermilion County. Golden Nugget and Wilmorite have established world-renowned casinos around the country and we are ecstatic that they are investing in Danville. This means not only millions of dollars in revenue for the city, but hundreds of good paying jobs, additional patronage of our local businesses, quality entertainment, and much needed restaurants, all of which will improve the quality of life for our people," said Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr.
The proposed Golden Nugget Danville Casino at 204 Eastgate Drive will feature a 41,500-square-foot gaming floor with 500 slot machines, 14 table games, two restaurants, including a Saltgrass Steakhouse, a sportsbook, and 650 surface parking spaces. The project will offer an online gaming and digital sports betting platform through Golden Nugget Online Gaming, Inc. There will be about 300 jobs.
IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter will be able to authorize a final practice gaming session, issuance of a temporary operating permit and commencement of casino operations at the gaming facility.
The IGB board still acts on final casino licensure.
This long process has come after the 2019 gaming expansion bill included six new casino licenses for Illinois, including one for Danville. Rockford's temporary casino opened in November and a couple others have broken ground or are moving forward with their temporary casinos.
The first casino applicant selected by the city of Danville, Haven Gaming, requested IGB approval to amend its severely deficient application in Jan. 2020 and the IGB denied the request to amend. Haven Gaming then requested IGB approval to withdraw its application on July 30, 2020, which was granted by the board.
In Nov. 2020 Golden Nugget LLC entered into an agreement with Wilmot Gaming Illinois LLC for a Danville casino. Rochester, N.Y.-based Wilmorite Construction, which secured Golden Nugget branding for the casino, is the proposed Danville casino developer.
Danville Development is the joint venture between Wilmot Gaming Illinois, LLC and GN Danville, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Golden Nugget.
Danville's second applicant submitted its application to the IGB on Nov. 23, 2020. IGB staff assessed and vetted the application and conducted the required background investigation and financial integrity analysis.
Additional history
Conversations about a casino in Danville go back to the 1990s when the Riverboat Gambling Act was enacted in February 1990. More serious conversations started in 2004 and ramped up when Lou Mervis funded a market study. A more dedicated effort with legislators started in 2005.
During a special meeting in June 2007, the Danville City Council voted 9-1 in favor of a resolution urging Illinois General Assembly members proposing an expansion of gaming licenses to include one license for Danville.
The resolution urged then state Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Gifford, and then state Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, to “support any reasonable gaming expansion bill that includes one license for the geographical area of the city of Danville.”
Through the years, former and current legislators, Mayor Scott Eisenhauer, Vermilion County and labor leaders and others testified and worked to see a casino license come to Danville.
A Danville casino also has been in a race to open before a new Indiana one.
Pending formal approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and a city zoning variance, Churchill Downs expects to break ground on a new casino on Terre Haute, Indiana's east side as soon as late May.
