Spectacle Jack LLC filed the only application for a Vigo County casino as of today's deadline, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission.
“No other applications were received,” Jenny Reske, deputy director of the commission said in an email to the Tribune-Star.
Vigo County residents approved inland gaming in the county in the Nov. 5 general election by a vote of 15,145 to 8,729, or 63.44% percent in favor to 36.56% against.
Applying for the license requires a $50,000 fee, and the successful applicant would pay the commission a $5 million license fee. The state has set a $100 million minimum investment on the part of the operator.
The Gaming Commission is to review the application and name a recipient. It had previously said it expected to do so in the first quarter of 2020, although the process might be accelerated given only one application was received.
However, Reske said the next regularly scheduled gaming commission meeting, Dec. 17, would be too soon for the commission to act.
The commission will evaluate proposals based on:
• Economic benefits;
• Tax revenue;
• Number of new jobs created;
• Whether the applicant plans an investment of at least $100 million in Vigo County, of which 35 percent must be spent on non-gaming amenities;
• Whether the applicant has a resolution of support from the legislative body of Vigo County;
• The financial stability of the applicant;
• The applicant’s history of community involvement;
• Any other factor that the commission decides to weigh.
The three-member Vigo County Board of Commissioners this morning unanimously approved a local development agreement.
The agreement calls for Spectacle to pay about $3 million based on $100 million adjusted gross receipts. Additionally, the proposed agreement calls for a payment equal to 3 percent of the company’s net commission received from any sports wagering vendor.
The proposed $125 million casino that would be located on 22 acres south of Walmart East next to Holiday Inn Express in Terre Haute.
Spectacle attorney and vice president John Keeler has said the casino would be called the “Rocksino by Hard Rock,” be 100,000 square feet and employ about 600 workers.
The Rocksino would include sports betting, a 300-seat entertainment theater called The Velvet Lounge, a buffet, a cafe, bars, a steak house and other features, Keeler said.
Terre Haute businessman Greg Gibson is one of the lead investors in and a vice president of Spectacle, as is former Centaur Gaming CEO Rod Ratcliff.
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