Full House Drops Casino Lawsuit
In a positive step for Indiana gaming, Full House Resorts have declared their intention to drop their lawsuit regarding the decision to award Terre Haute’s casino licence to a rival bidder.
In what hopes to be the final stage of an incredibly protracted process, Full House’s side-step paves the way for Churchill Downs to break ground on the construction of a large new venue. The Kentucky-based company plan to invest a colossal $240m into the site, and will brand the facility the ‘Queen of Terre Haute Casino’.
The impressive development will come complete with 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games, and a 125-room hotel. Furthermore, Churchill Downs anticipate the project to create circa 500 jobs in a tangible boost to the local economy.
Full House flagged concerns with the Indiana Gaming Commission’s voting processes, and also the integrity of the successful bid. In registering a legal case in state capital Indianapolis, the Las Vegas-based firm suggested the IGC had flouted the state’s open meeting laws. Furthermore, Full House asserted that Churchill Down’s application should have been disqualified, given CEO Bill Carstanjen announced to the commission that the company were considering locating the casino elsewhere to their original plan.
This latest debacle adds to a story already shrouded in drama. Terre Haute’s license was firstly awarded to local gamers Spectacle, but after delays to building work rumbled on and time ran out, the IGC decided against renewing the firm’s license. This dispute was also subjected to a recently concluded legal affair.
Having secured the funds long ago and poised to commence works (whichever site they select), Churchill Downs look set to deliver, in their own words, ‘a valuable regional asset and a true destination casino resort for a community that has waited long enough’.
It seems a new casino for Terre Haute is now firmly on the horizon.
