Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Danville picks casino operator
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax      Advertise Here      About     Exclusive Subscriber Content     Updated Posts    Contact Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here.
Danville picks casino operator

Wednesday, Oct 2, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Jennifer Bailey at the Danville Commercial News

D-Vegas has been a long-running nickname used by some residents for Danville, it being the opposite of a bright lights big city.

Now after a 30-year wait for a casino, Danville is living up to that nickname and could be called that by a lot more people. The casino renderings of Haven Gaming LLC’s casino resort and entertainment center is reminiscent of a Las Vegas-style property.

The Danville City Council voted 12-0, with Ward 4 Alderman Mike O’Kane absent and a vacant Ward 1 seat at the start of the meeting Tuesday night to accept the casino steering-committee’s recommendation of Haven Gaming as the casino operating partner. Haven Gaming is a team of about seven people with more than a century of gaming experience combined with casinos, for example in Joliet, Michigan City, Ind., and in California.

The proposed casino will have 1,250 slot machines, 40 gaming tables and also sports betting lounges and bars, a 2,500 seat entertainment venue, conference/banquet center, 300-seat buffet, a boutique hotel and rooftop spa/salon, pool and lazy river, celebrity-style restaurants and other amenities. There also will be waterfall and other outside features.

* Artist rendering…

Nice.

* Sun-Times

“This has been a long time coming,” a tearful Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said before the City Council unanimously passed a measure approving a proposal from a politically connected casino development group that includes a powerful ex-state lawmaker who resigned in controversy earlier this year.

Nearly 25 years after the General Motors foundry shut down in nearby Tilton, the once-prospering city of Danville — where Abraham Lincoln practiced law before his political ascent, and where actors Dick Van Dyke and Gene Hackman grew up — has seen its number of residents shrink to about 30,000, according to U.S. Census estimates. That’s a population decline of about 30% from its heyday in 1970.

And now, more than 30% of Danville residents live below the federal poverty line, more than double the statewide poverty rate of about 12%, Census figures show.

But state and city leaders are betting a casino can help turn that tide, despite the fact casino attendance and revenue figures have been steadily declining for years as video gambling machines have proliferated at at thousands of bars, restaurants, lounges and rest stops since they launched in Illinois in 2012.

       

24 Comments
  1. - Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:22 am:

    I worry the casino is just going to prey on local residents who apparently don’t have a lot of money to lose. Not including Champagne/Urbana the next closest major city is Lafayette and is over an hour away.


  2. - bogey golfer - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:25 am:

    What is the market area this hotel/casino will draw from? Between, existing casinos, mom and pop slots, queen of heart raffles, have we reached saturation point?


  3. - Responsa - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:26 am:

    I fear this venture is too ambitious, too big and is not going to have a happy ending. Hoping for the best, though.


  4. - Chad Hays - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:29 am:

    This has been a long time coming for our community. Thrilled that investors are proposing a Tier 1 destination entertainment venue.

    The convention space alone is most welcome and sorely needed. The upfront investment in the community in addition to the facilities is awesome. $1 million for a new addition to the Danville Boy’s & Girls Club, $1 million to help redevelop Danville’s Downtown Riverfront, and significant annual investments in scholarships for Danville Area Community College, the beautiful recently refurbished Fischer Theatre, Vermilion Advantage, Danville Police and Fire etc.

    This in addition to Carle Foundation announcing a $50 million investment to redevelop the west side of downtown for a new medical campus.

    It has been a spectacularly good last six weeks for Danville!


  5. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:34 am:

    Hoping this works out, and recreational marijuana too (Danville recently voted to tax it).


  6. - Chad Hays - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:38 am:

    Most of the garbage in the Sun Times article is from 30 years ago.

    The good news? The last time I saw a Sun Times in Danville was at the bottom of a bird cage.


  7. - City Zen - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:48 am:

    ==I worry the casino is just going to prey on local residents who apparently don’t have a lot of money to lose==

    No, it’s going to prey on Indiana residents who apparently don’t have a lot of money to lose.


  8. - Pundent - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:56 am:

    =Between, existing casinos, mom and pop slots, queen of heart raffles, have we reached saturation point?=

    Vegas thrives because it is a destination point. You have multiple venues with any number of entertainment options and restaurants. A single standalone casino in Danville will not create a compelling reason for out of towners to make the trip. And with the proliferation of video gaming it’s pretty easy for locals to get their fix at the local bar. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think that this is going be the answer to Danville’s woes.


  9. - City Zen - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:57 am:

    ==“It will be like a resort area,” Williams said of the casino site being at Southgate, south of Interstate 74 at Lynch Road.==

    Interesting this is going on the outskirts of Danville rather than closer to downtown.


  10. - Curious George - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 10:59 am:

    Lou Lang


  11. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:02 am:

    ===Interesting this is going on the outskirts===

    Casinos are money sucks. They don’t generally help a small city’s downtown. Just the opposite. Best to put them where the out of towners can get to them as easily as possible, and that’s the thinking in Danville and Rockford so far.


  12. - SSL - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:12 am:

    I’m not much of a gambler these days. Used to make trips to Vegas every few years as a much younger person, but it never lived up to the hype. Most casinos were full of senior citizens pumping social security money into one armed bandits. That’s a heck of a building they plan to build and I wish them good luck with it. If it fails it will be one heck of an eyesore. There’s a lot riding on it for them.


  13. - JS Mill - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:16 am:

    Pundent is spot on.

    This will not be what they want it to be in Danville.


  14. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:18 am:

    ===I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think that this is going be the answer to Danville’s woes. ===

    No one thing could ever be “the” answer to Danville’s problems. It’s one of many.

    When you demand that something must be an absolute panacea, you are not living in the real world.


  15. - Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:19 am:

    They will be advertising heavily in Indianapolis which is only 90 minutes away and has 2 million people.

    The place will be packed every weekend.


  16. - Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:23 am:

    Also, I could not figure out which ex-lawmaker they were talking about.

    Lang did not “resign in controversy” earlier this year. he was exonerated by the Inspector General before he retired, tarnished his reputation for sure but he left with his head held high.


  17. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:29 am:

    ===but he left with his head held high===

    Some reporters insist on cramming as much negativity as they can into their stories regardless of the facts.


  18. - Pundent - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:46 am:

    =When you demand that something must be an absolute panacea, you are not living in the real world.=

    Couldn’t agree more. What’s disappointing is the “30 year wait.” It says to me that this is being viewed as a panacea and an excuse for not coming up with any other economic alternatives by the teary-eyed mayor and others.


  19. - Ambrose Chase - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:09 pm:

    Kind of looks like the (former) Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.


  20. - Chad Hays - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:49 pm:

    =Pundent=

    Are you just sour on this announcement or on good news for Danville generally?

    The nearly 30 year wait comment is in reference to the first gaming life fee being issued in 1991 - 29 years ago. Simple math.

    That you would associate that with lack of a plan, effort, et. al. is a ridiculous leap of logic and underscores how little you know about the wonderful people here and the heroic efforts over many years to completely reinvent and rebuild an entire economy. . . . . it is more than a little insulting.

    I LIKE that the Mayor cares enough about his city to be emotional when good news is announced. He was emotional when Carle announced their $50 million investment a few weeks ago. He will almost certainly be emotional when ground is broken on the million expansion of our Boys and Girls Club - an organization that he personally ran when the current facility was built.

    Too many have worked too hard for too long on multiple fronts to allow low information nay sayers to rain on our parade. Take your cloudy weather elsewhere.

    Sometimes “congratulations and best of luck” is all that is required. We appreciate the positive thoughts of the huge majority that are rooting for our community and Illinois in general.


  21. - Downstate - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 1:43 pm:

    I look at the promise that the casinos supposedly offered Alton, Metropolis and E. St. Louis. It seems that none of those casinos lifted the economic prosperity of their particular region.


  22. - Unstable Genius - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 3:49 pm:

    Not sure why someone in Indianapolis would drive an hour and a half to Danville when there are two casinos in Indiana less than an hour away.


  23. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 4:19 pm:

    “No, it’s going to prey on Indiana residents who apparently don’t have a lot of money to lose.”

    True dat on Indiana residents not having a lot of money to lose. Their median incomes rank toward the bottom of all states.

    Rooting for the casinos to succeed. We just had a governor who trashed the state.


  24. - Pundent - Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 4:47 pm:

    @Chad Hays - I harbor no grudge or resentment against Danville. I wish them well. But as Downstate points out the track record of casinos reviving areas that have struggled economically is poor. Waiting 30 years for a license suggests that Danville is pinning too many of its hopes on this solution.


Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.


* Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
* Some election news (Updated)
* Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
* Roundup: Former ComEd board appointee testifies about Madigan’s role in securing his seat
* This judge needs to be pulled off of domestic violence cases (Updated x2)
* Caption contest!
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today's edition
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Live coverage
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Yesterday's stories

Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............


Loading


Main Menu
Home
Illinois
YouTube
Pundit rankings
Obama
Subscriber Content
Durbin
Burris
Blagojevich Trial
Advertising
Updated Posts
Polls

Archives
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004

Blog*Spot Archives
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005

Syndication

RSS Feed 2.0
Comments RSS 2.0




Hosted by MCS SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax Advertise Here Mobile Version Contact Rich Miller