The temporary Caesars casino has generated $222 million in gaming revenue since opening last Year.
Meanwhile, construction continues on the permanent casino right next door.
Danville has received nearly $20 million of that as part of their agreement – $7 million more than expected.
“We figured it would be more, but we didn’t know it was gonna be this much more. That’s all great, actually, because it’s a temporary facility. It’s in a tent. They don’t have near the number of games that they would have in the full casino,” said Ken Larking, Danville City Manager.
Larking says the money is going toward neighborhood parks, school improvements, economic development and more.
“We want to invest in what would grow our city including more businesses, more opportunities for jobs, better quality of life, better recreational amenities, better education, workforce development, those are the kinds of things that we’re investing in,” Larking added.
General Manager Chris Albrecht says the temporary casino sees around 100,000 visitors per month. He expects that number to grow substantially once the permanent casino opens.
“That’s really going to bring a lot more customers from further away when we have all the offerings from the hotel, the restaurants, the entertainment meeting space, the pool, and the spa. It’s going to drive visitation from even further and further away. So, we’re really excited to move next door here in the next few months,” Albrecht said.
Their current staff will also jump from about 400 people to around 1200.
“Those jobs are number one and that incremental revenue to the city will help support existing businesses and hopefully new investment into this market as well,” Albrecht said.
They say the permanent casino is still on track to open by the end of the year.
