Danville, Illinois recently submitted its casino license application to the Illinois Gaming Board, at the same time announcing the casino will carry the Golden Nugget brand. Golden Nugget LLC and developer Wilmot Gaming Illinois LLC reached a joint agreement to build a new casino in Danville, pending regulatory approvals. Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said, “This is phenomenal for Danville and Vermilion County. To have a, not nationally known, but internationally known company partnering with the Wilmots to bring us a first-class casino is just phenomenal news.”
The casino will feature a Landry’s steakhouse, Golden Nugget’s iconic restaurant. Williams said, “Having a fantastic steakhouse like that here in town will be great for everyone. I imagine lots of people, even if they don’t gamble, will go there to eat on a regular basis.”
In addition, Golden Nugget Online Gaming Inc. and Danville Development LLC, a joint venture between Wilmot and GN Danville, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Golden Nugget, announced they have reached a joint agreement allowing market access to online sports betting in Illinois through the proposed Danville casino. Under the agreement, Golden Nugget holds the exclusive right to offer online sports wagering and possibly online casino wagering if that’s legalized in the future. The 20-year market access agreement requires Golden Nugget to pay Danville Development a percentage of its online net gaming revenue, subject to minimum royalty payments over the term.
Golden Nugget will provide a $30 million loan to Danville Development to develop and construct the casino.
A casino license may not be issued until May or June, said Vermilion Advantage Interim President Tinisha Spain, since Covid-19 has delayed the Illinois Gaming Board’s casino approval process. “Even coming on the heels of the announcement that there would be a delay, it’s great that they’re still making their partnerships in the background, so that when we do get the final word, we’ll be ready to move,” Spain said.
Other Golden Nugget casinos are located in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Lake Charles, Louisiana, Biloxi, Mississippi and Laughlin, Nevada.
