Bet on it: Thousands flock to Terre Haute for casino opening

Apr. 5—Much pomp and ceremony attended the Terre Haute Casino Resort's opening Friday, with 20 VIPs cutting the ribbon with pairs of souvenir scissors engraved with the casino's logo and a band performing for early arrivals two hours before the doors opened to allow thousands inside.

Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer said he arrived at 5:30 a.m. to do live remotes with sundry TV stations.

"When I got in this morning, there were already a couple of campers and mobile homes out there, and people were already standing in line," he said.

Before the ribbon cutting — which took place in 30-degree weather made colder by heavy winds — Mike Rich, vice president and general manager of the casino resort, told the crowd, "Terre Haute, you did it. I give you a big hand."

He added, "You didn't come here to hear these speeches — you came to play."

Nonetheless, there were speeches.

Switzer called the casino "a beacon of new energy" for the area.

Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun thanked his predecessor, Duke Bennett.

"His actions will help us for generations to come," Sakbun said.

In an interview, Bennett said, "I feel really good about this. This is one of the biggest things that has happened in Terre Haute in an extremely long time. People before me wanted this, and we pulled it off."

He added, "It was a long process — that's what I tell everybody, you have no idea; it took years. You work through that process and ... then you get the end result, which is such a great thing for west central Indiana, but Terre Haute's going to benefit so much from this."

Before cutting the ribbon, Rich presented representatives of the St. Benedict Soup Kitchen with a $10,000 check, proceeds from an evening for VIPs conducted at the casino on Wednesday night.

Among those assisting in the ribbon-cutting were Rich, Sakbun, Bennett, Switzer and fellow Vigo County commissioners Mike Morris and Mark Clinkenbeard, casino owner Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen, state Sen. Greg Goode and former State Sen. Jon Ford.

Ford was one of the authors of a 2018 ominbus gaming bill that, among other things, brought a casino license to Vigo County.

The city and county are expected to split about $5 million annually from the casino's revenues. Switzer cited one study that estimated the attraction will draw one million visitors per year.

A previous economic impact study conducted by economists at Purdue University estimated the Terre Haute Casion Resort would generate $190 million in annual regional economic impact. According to that study, the project is expected to deliver a 2% annual increase in west-central Indiana's gross regional product.

Bennett pronounced himself awed with the final product.

"This is first class," he said. "I've been in a few casinos over time, and some of them, they cut corners. And they didn't do that here at all. It's very upscale.

"As soon as you walk in the door, you're like, 'Wow. This place catches your attention.' And everybody's saying that — 'Man, this place is beautiful,' 'This is better than anywhere we've been.' They did what they said they were going to do and really invested a lot of money here, and they did it right — they didn't cut any corners."

Hundreds of people — perhaps a thousand — were lined up to get in before doors opened. Later, inside, Switzer estimated that 3,000 patrons were on hand.

"It's tremendous to see," Switzer said. "Right now, there's a line of traffic [on eastbound I-70] all the way to mile marker 17. You've got about five miles of traffic to exit 11 before you even get here, and the parking lot's full.

"We expected a big crowd, but this is overwhelming, and we're really excited about it," he said.

Outside of heavy traffic, Indiana State Police public information officer Sgt. Matt Ames reported "no issues."

For a time, the casino's parking lot was shut off to incoming traffic because it was at capacity.

Sgt. Justin Spears, Terre Haute Police Department public information officer, said officers had responded to one parking complaint and monitored the situation.

"There is obviously some congestion but no accidents have been reported," he added.

Said Churchill Downs' Rich, "We expected a rush but the amount of people that have showed up today has been a great surprise."

The casino at 4500 East Margaret Drive is now open 24 hours daily. Guess must be 21 or older to enter.

The accompanying 122-room hotel is to open May 15.

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.