Although it remains to be seen whether Danville will ever get a casino – more electronic gaming parlors are sprouting south of the city.
Lacey’s is now open on the square in Westville, and Carla’s Video Gaming has also opened along Illinois route one in Tilton.
The opening of those two businesses means there are now more than a half-dozen video gaming spots between the Interstate 74 – Illinois route one interchange and downtown Westville. And another opened in Georgetown.
Danville Mayor Scott Eisenhauer has opposed the opening of video gaming parlors in the city, but Danville does benefit from the electronic gaming already occurring at bars. In the City’s new budget and tax levy it is estimated that Danville will receive over $266-thousand dollars from the Video Gaming Machine Tax.
State Senator Scott Bennett and Representative Chad Hays have said they support efforts to land a casino in Danville. But efforts in recent years to expand the number of casinos in the state have been unsuccessful. And now Danville’s efforts to land a casino could face a serious challenge. Indiana State Senator Jon Ford says he plans to introduce a bill that would allow for construction of a new gaming and entertainment facility in Terre Haute. Senator Ford has estimated that allowing the Rising Star Resort and Casino to relocate up to half of its gaming slots to Terre Haute could create upwards to 1,250 jobs.
