Tropicana Evansville patrons are looking forward to visiting the new land-based casino, but they also admitted not knowing much about it yet.
“Are there going to be new restaurants? How about the old boat, what are they going to do with that?” Amy Bedwell of Terre Haute asked recently.
“Are there going to be many new (slot) machines?” Barbara Knight of Sullivan, Indiana, asked.
In advance of the new casino’s grand opening at 10 a.m. Oct. 20, here’s what we know about the answers to those questions, and a few more.
· What will the new casino look like?
The biggest change is all gaming options are on one floor, as opposed to the three-floor riverboat casino It faces Riverside Drive, between the Tropicana and Le Merigot hotels.
At its reopening, the casino will have 41 table games and 1,177 slot machines. About 100 of the slot machines are new.
It’s roughly the same number of games offered on the riverboat, because state legislation allowing riverboats to move on land did not permit expaned gaming.
The land-based casino will have 47,500 square feet of gaming space, up from 36,000 on the riverboat. And ceilings are far higher.
The new casino’s high-limit area will have a different look, as well.
“It will have its own bar, with both table games and slots in the same area,” said John Chaszar, Tropicana Evansville general manager. “They are in two separate areas (on the riverboat).”
What is the smoking policy in the new casino?
Smoking is permitted in the land-based casino, like on the riverboat,. A small part of the floor will be smoke-free.
Chaszar said the new facility's ventilation system will be superior to the riverboat's, making the environment better for nonsmokers.
What are the new restaurants and entertainment options?
Let’s first look at what won’t be in the new facility.
Max & Erma’s and Hoosier’s Lounge, on the casino pavilion’s ground floor, are closing. An Italian restaurant in the pavilion already has closed.
Cavanaugh’s, an upscale steakhouse on the pavilion’s upper floor that has riverfront views, will remain open. The casino’s gift shop near Cavanaugh’s also will stay. Chaszar said the pavilion’s newly vacant space will be redesigned and repurposed at some point.
The Kitchen, a buffet restaurant in Tropicana Hotel, was recently expanded in anticipation of increased business from the land-based casino.
The biggest restaurant addition in the new building is Tap House, which is just off the new casino’s floor on the Le Merigot end. It will have 36 beers, including several from local breweries. It will be a casual restaurant in the mold of Max & Erma’s.
The Deli, near the Tropicana Hotel end of the casino, will be open around the clock offering New York-style sandwiches, hot dogs, personal pizzas, salads, soup and coffee.
A nightclub called 421 will replace Hoosier’s Lounge. It will have live entertainment on weekends and some weeknights. It’s designed much differently from Hoosier’s Lounge – performers will be on a stage built behind the bar and servers.
Tropicana will take on more of a nightclub feel in the evenings, with 421 being a focal point, Chaszar said. The club’s name is derived from its address, 421 NW Riverside Drive.
What will happen the riverboat?
Tropicana has a contract with an entity that is buying the vessel. Casino officials said they cannot reveal more details yet due to a confidentiality agreement with the purchasing entity.
News of the riverboat’s next destination, though, apparently will not be under wraps long.
Tropicana Evansville Director of Marketing Stacey McNeill told the Indiana Gaming Commission during its recent board meeting in Evansville that the riverboat’s sale is likely to close on Oct. 30, “and it will actually depart the same day.”
Is the LST 325 still moving to the riverboat dock?
That is still the plan of everyone involved. Tropicana Evansville has contributed $1 million toward the LST’s relocation. But the move is still a few months away, perhaps even a year.
“We’ve still got a ways to go,” said Chris Donahue, an LST 325 board member and the point person on dealings with the city and casino. “We have to have a building built (for the LST offices and gift shop).”
Donahue said vacant space in the pavilion apparently is not a possibility for the LST’s use, because Tropicana wishes to keep it.
Also, the dock at Tropicana must be modified to accommodate the LST. Morley, an Evansville engineering firm, is involved in talks between the LST, Tropicana and the city.
“There’s more engineering to it than people would suspect,” Donahue said.
Although moving the LST will take some time, all parties involved still want it to happen, Donahue said. He noted Tropicana’s financial commitment.
“I want to commend them big-time for that,” Donahue said. “You always want to go where you’re wanted.”
What are future plans for The District?
Ri Ra remains at The District and is undergoing a renovation. Chaszar said there are no plans currently for the space that most recently was a Mexican grill and Boogie Nights dance club.
Casino officials said they have received recent interest in the property.