THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
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DANVILLE — With Golden Nugget Danville celebrating a one-year anniversary this weekend, local officials reflected on the decades to land a casino and the impact it’s had so far.
“An enormous amount of effort went into bringing the Golden Nugget Danville to fruition, and we’re very proud of the final product,” Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said.
“We appreciate the investment that the Wilmots and Mr. (Tilman) Fertitta (with Golden Nugget) have made not only in the casino, but the many other ways they have already partnered with the community to make this an even better place to live, work, invest and play,” Williams added.
“Although revenues are a bit lower than initially projected, the additional income has helped us lower property taxes and pay down our unfunded police and fire pension debt. We look forward to them being an integral part of this community for decades to come,” Williams said.
Vermilion Advantage President and CEO Mike Marron stated, “I think the casino has brought needed resources to the community. It certainly has brought visitors into our community, which has been a positive.
“There have been challenges. Workforce has been an issue for all our employers and that topic is something that we devote a large portion of our time to at Vermilion Advantage, working to find solutions.”
Revenue report
According to the the Illinois Gaming Board, the Danville casino — the smallest in the state — had 394,801 admissions in the 398 operating days from May 2023 through last month.
It took in $4.27 million in adjusted gross revenue for table games and $36.66 million in electronic games, producing $4.88 million for the state and $2.44 million for the city of Danville.
City Comptroller Ashlyn Massey has said that every time someone walks through the door of the Golden Nugget, the casino pays a $3 admissions tax and the city receives $1 of that.
Gaming revenue to the city originally was projected at $4 to $6 million annually, which didn’t include increased property taxes, sales tax and food and beverage tax revenue.
In 2020 casino discussions with the city council, Danville Development’s Jimmy Wilmot talked about looking at two years after opening: If Golden Nugget generated $80 million of gross gaming revenue and $30-plus million of annual revenue after taxes, he’d commit to investing $20 million to $60 million in additional capital.
After another two years, if Wilmorite generated $100 million of gross revenue and $40-plus million of annual revenue after taxes, Danville Development would commit to investing an additional $40 million to $100 million.
The additional investment was to possibly be a mix of moving the casino to a location along I-74; additional dining outlets, including a buffet and cafe; a bigger gaming floor, with increased slots and tables; hotel/overnight accommodations; and meeting and entertainment space.
Wilmot could not be reached for comment for this story.
Sharing the wealth
Golden Nugget Danville opened its doors May 27, 2023 with a soft opening, and had its grand opening on Aug. 4, 2023.
At the latter event, Danville Development presented a $1 million check to the Boys & Girls Club of Danville for a teen center addition at 850 N. Griffin St.
Boys & Girls Club of Danville Executive Director/CEO Rob Gifford said a date is yet to be set to get started on the addition.
“We will be meeting to discuss how and when we will get things started. The casino donation is going totally to the new teen addition,” Gifford said.
As part of the Host Community Agreement, developers also committed $3 million in one-time donations to the Danville Riverfront Improvement Project, the Boys & Girls Club and city of Danville, for a city buildings.
Danville Development also made annual commitments to: United Way ($100,000) Vermilion Advantage ($50,000), the Fischer Theatre ($50,000), Danville Area Community College for scholarships ($50,000) and public safety and municipal service payments ($50,000 for police and firefighter training and needs).
‘They are present’
Billboards to promote the casino and boost tourism in the city can be seen around the area. Casino sponsorships at community activities also can be found throughout the county, such as signage at Danville Stadium.
“I can see where they are present in our community,” said Danville Area Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jeanie Cooke.
Some worried about the impact the opening of a casino in Terre Haute, Ind., would have on Golden Nugget Danville.
Said Marron: “I think Terre Haute opening has likely hurt our numbers but that just means we have to work harder to sell our community and get people to come here. Terre Haute doesn’t have the Fischer Theater, Kickapoo State Park or a bike trail with a railroad trestle. There are many reasons for people to come visit Danville and the Golden Nugget.”
The visitors bureau regularly receives inquiries and calls as to the location of the casino, its operating hours, hotels in the area and other information, Cooke said.
“I think it’s been very positive on our area,” she said. “It absolutely helps build traffic in that hotel area. That’s been a real positive, I think, for our hospitality community.”
Cooke noted that Vermilion County tourism is busy in the summer. The casino adds a tourism value in the wintertime too, she said.
This weekend’s one-year anniversary celebration for the casino started with a “Cookie and Cash Bash” Friday evening.
Saturday night’s showcase is a Micro-Wrestling Federation event.
On Sunday, commemorative anniversary T-shirts will be given out.
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