State Commission OKs Tropicana’s Inland Move
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke joined officials from the city and Tropicana Entertainment in November for the announcement.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Gaming Commission has approved plans for the Tropicana Casino in Evansville to become the state’s first land-based casino. In November, the city and Tropicana Entertainment Inc. announced a $50 million project to move the riverboat casino to the Ohio River shore.
The Indiana General Assembly paved the way for the inland move during the 2015 session. Tropicana’s plan received unanimous approval Wednesday.
General Manager John Chaszar tells our partners at WEHT/WTVW-TV "it’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful facility and it just changes everything we know about gaming in Southern Indiana. It puts us on par with a lot of the national casinos."
The casino will be located between the current company-owned Tropicana Evansville Hotel and LeMerigot Hotel and the city is planning to offer the company around $20 million in lease rent credits. The deal will keep the casino in the Vanderburgh County city through 2055.
Officials could break ground by year’s end and construction could be complete next year.