Danville officials could soon make their decision regarding the new casino in the city. Still, an agreement on a developer and a location for the future casino needs to be made.
Last night, the Mayor of Danville – Rickey Williams Jr – addressed the City Council and revealed that he had invited the three potential developers, which have applied for permission to establish a casino in the city, to meet them face-to-face. As revealed by Mayor Williams Jr, only two of the applicants have attended the meeting.
Both companies offered the same spot as their desired location to host a casino venue – just off Interstate 74, south of Lynch Road. This is a 42-acre site which would allow the companies to make further expansion and development in the future, unlike some locations which have been available for casino construction downtown.
The mayor remains hopeful that a final recommendation for the City Council would be made at the Council members’ next meeting which is scheduled for September 17th. In the meantime, the empowered city officials are doing the necessary background checks while the casino developers continue to work on their gambling venue plans.
The final deadline which has been imposed by the state of Illinois to Danville to make a decision on the proposed casino is set for the end of October 2019.
Final Recommendation to Illinois Gaming Board to Be Made by Danville City Council by the End of October
As CasinoGamesPro has already reported, casino gambling is officially coming to Danville after two-decade efforts of city and state leaders.
According to supporters of casino gambling, fresh revenue flow and more jobs for the local people are needed in Danville, and the addition of a casino venue could provide both. The beginning of June saw the future casino expansion become one of the hottest topics there after state lawmakers decided at their latest legislative session in the spring of 2019 to grant a casino license to Danville.
The Illinois House and Senate both gave the nod to the long-desired gambling expansion at the end of May following lengthy discussions on the issue. Under the provisions of the gambling bill passed at the end of the spring legislative session and then signed into law by Governor Pritzker, the city of Danville received a casino license, which is expected to bring major changes in the city’s gambling sector.
The deadline for casino license application submission saw a total of three applicants who approached the authorities, asking them to give their permission for establishing a casino venue within city borders. City aldermen have decided to extend the original deadline with one week in an effort to bring in more applicants for the project. Recommendations to the City Council are made after applications’ review and meetings with the applicants.
Danville officials will have until October 28th to reveal their decision about the chosen developer and the location of the future casino to the state’s gambling regulatory body, the Illinois Gaming Board.
