Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a gambling expansion law in June 2019, allowing six new casino licenses in Illinois, including the city of Danville. However, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the application process. City officials submitted an updated bid on November 23 and an optimistic Mayor Rickey Williams said, “Now we’re simply waiting on the state.” The gaming board is required to approve a license within one year or provide a written explanation about why it hasn’t.
The new bid was submitted by Danville Development LLC. The project, which will carry the Golden Nugget brand, will be led by Wilmorite Construction of Rochester, New York. Wilmorite Vice President of Gaming James Wilmot said the facility will feature a gaming floor with 500 slots and 10 table games, plus a sportsbook, a Landry’s steakhouse, food court and parking for more than 700 vehicles. Construction will take place in three phases.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to build this casino. We’re hopeful that come spring, we’ll have some more feedback and possibly a license in place so we can get up and running,” Wilmot said. He stated as soon as the license is approved, construction should begin without two months and be completed within nine months of the groundbreaking.
Wilmot added although he’s not too concerned about Covid-19 affecting the industry, “it’s certainly added a new list of challenges and made the industry look at what it’s doing and how.” He noted, “We haven’t seen a lot of foreclosures. Everybody’s surviving,” but Wilmorite added 10,000 square feet to the original casino design to address restrictions related to the pandemic. “We’ve been able to sample industry leaders before us and we’re certainly hoping the vaccine will be rolled out and readily taken by the public,” Wilmot said.
Spectacle Entertainment’s new casino in Terre Haute, Indiana, which received its license in May, will provide some competition, Wilmot acknowledged. “It’s something we’ve taken into account since the beginning. It will ding our numbers, but those are numbers we’ve shown to the city, and we’re looking forward to competing for that customer,” he stated.
Last August at a Danville city council meeting, Wilmot said the casino is expected to produce about $66 million in annual revenue, with about $6.2 million of that going to the city. He noted the Golden Nugget brand will attract its loyalty club members. “We just have some different things to offer that some of the other places don’t. I think it’s going to be good to have that national partnership and recognition,” he said.
Upon licensing, Danville Development has committed to pay $1 million to Riverfront Development Project, $1 million to the local Boys & Girls Club and $1 million toward municipal improvements.
