The Horseshoe Southern Indiana casino has been approved to move from riverboat to land, with Caesars Entertainment set to spend $85 million on the move. A state law change from three years ago allows riverboat casinos to move on to land, but approval must be given to the license holder first. The Indiana Gaming Commission gave the Horseshoe unanimous approval earlier this week to make the move.
Brad Seigel, the General Manager of the Horseshoe Southern Indiana, commented on the approval, by stating that the casino will be creating a new state-of-the-art building in the new location. The casino will now be placed in an area across Highway 111.
The area is prone to flooding, so Seigel stated that care will be given to ensure that property will be protected from mother nature. The renderings provided to the Commission showed a casino, restaurants, entertainment venue and retail options. The project will also include renovating the existing convention space to create an outdoor balcony, more windows and a new ventilation system.
Construction Plans Approved, New Casino in 2019
Horseshoe Southern Indiana officials presented their plans on Tuesday to the Commission, discussing how very little demolition would be involved and that the new casino would be high enough to avoid any flooding from the river. Flooding is an important point to consider as the riverboat casino was shut down for several days last year due to rising river waters.
Officials of the casino project that between $80 million and $85 million will be spent on the new construction as well as existing property renovations. The new casino will be located next to a parking garage of the current riverboat casino. The new building will have a connection to the existing pavilion. The goal is to have the new property constructed and ready for operation by this time in 2019. The project should be beneficial to the community as it will be better for tourism as well as provide job opportunities for the locals.
