EVANSVILLE - Twenty-two years after becoming Indiana’s first community with a casino, Evansville is again a pioneer in the gaming industry.
The floating casino formerly known as Casino Aztar is closing. A new era begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 20 with the grand opening of Tropicana Evansville’s land-based casino facing Riverside Drive.
State legislation passed two years ago allows riverboat casinos to move on land. Lawmakers from the Evansville area pushed for the measure, and once it became law, Tropicana and the city immediately took advantage.
Built for $50 million, the land-based casino is more spacious than the riverboat. It includes new dining and entertainment options and will seek guests of all tastes.
“Right now, when you go to the boat, you go to the boat to gamble,” Tropicana Evansville General Manager John Chaszar said. “There’s no other reason to go to the boat. When you go to this new facility, you can go with a group of people that have diverse intentions. You can have someone who wants to have a beer and watch a game, you can have someone who wants to play some blackjack or sit on a slot machine, or folks who want to sit in the lounge and listen to music or dance.
“It’s one giant entertainment experience, versus a gambling experience,” Chaszar said. “It will change the way people think about gaming in Evansville. I can’t emphasize enough how people will be blown away the first time you walk in.”
After opening in 1995, the facility had about 2 million guests per year. As more casinos opened in Indiana and nearby states, admissions gradually fell. In fiscal year 2017, about 1.15 million guests boarded the Evansville vessel, according to Indiana Gaming Commission reports.
Evansville officials sought the land-based casino legislation to make Tropicana more competitive. The measure also found support in other Indiana communities with riverboats. The nearest casinos to Evansville, in French Lick and Metropolis, Illinois, are land-based.
Tropicana in 2017 generated $32.1 million in total taxes. Casino officials expect moving ashore will increase that amount. French Lick Resort Casino’s total taxes for 2017 were $18.1 million.
Evansville city government’s annual share of casino money, $10 million or so, is mostly used to fund capital projects. Some also is used on Ford Center debt.
Casino funds over the years have paid for public safety vehicles and local government matches for federally funded road repairs. Vanderburgh County government receives about $2 million a year in Tropicana proceeds.
Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke toured the land-based casino construction site a month ago, “and even then you could tell how impressive it’s going to be.”
Indiana Gaming Commission members also saw the construction site recently and will return this week for the grand opening.
“It is absolutely breathtaking. I think the city of Evansville and future patrons will be blown away by what they see,” said Sara Gonso Tait, executive director of the gaming commission.