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Construction On Golden Nugget Danville Wrapping Up

Construction on new Illinois casino in Danville could be finished by the end of April, according to the marketing director for Golden Nugget.

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Nicholaus Garcia Avatar
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Although no opening date has been set, construction on the new Golden Nugget Danville Casino is winding down.

Once finished, the newest Illinois casino will feature several amenities, including 500 slot machines and 14 table games. The $100 million Golden Nugget casino will also feature Las Vegas-style games. Visitors can expect games like mini-baccarat, blackjack, 3-card poker, craps, Mississippi stud, roulette and Ultimate Texas Hold’Em.

A physical sportsbook is also expected, and according to experts, Golden Nugget intends to launch an online sports betting platform with its license.

Golden Nugget Illinois yet to confirm opening date

Speaking with the Commercial-News of Danville, Jo Green, director of marketing for the casino, said the goal is for construction to finish by April 28 or sooner.

“We do not have a scheduled open yet as we’re still under construction. Once we are all set up and ready, we can work with the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB). Hopefully, we meet the requirements for them to grant us approval for operating and opening.”

Joe Miller, director of the state gaming board, said the IGB is working side by side with Golden Nugget to ensure the casino opens in a compliant and effective manner.

A temporary operating permit could be coming soon

According to Illinois gaming code, Golden Nugget is at the point in its construction where regulators can come and assess the property.

IGB administrator Marcus Fruchter will be the one conducting the assessment. If everything is up to code, Fruchter can grant Golden Nugget Danville a temporary operating permit.

An assessment of operations typically occurs over a one-to-three-day period. According to Miller, finance and audit teams, attorneys, and internal control teams are present during walkthroughs to ensure compliance.

“Once that is issued, [Golden Nugget] can open and begin operations,” Miller said. “The temporary operating permit grants the applicant the ability to operate in the interim.”

The Danville casino is the latest in a long line of new Illinois casino projects. Three more properties could open in 2023.

Those include:

  • Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort  — scheduled to open sometime in 2023
  • Hard Rock Rockford casino (permanent location) — scheduled to open late in 2023 (the Hard Rock: Opening Act temporary casino opened in 2021)
  • Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino — scheduled to open in late 2023 or early 2024
Nicholaus Garcia Avatar
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Nick Garcia is a senior reporter for PlayUSA. Garcia provides analysis and in-depth coverage of the gambling industry with a key focus on online casinos, sports betting and financial markets. Garcia has been covering the US gambling market since 2017. He attended Texas Tech University as an undergrad and received a Master of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College Chicago.

View all posts by Nicholaus Garcia

Nick Garcia is a senior reporter for PlayUSA. Garcia provides analysis and in-depth coverage of the gambling industry with a key focus on online casinos, sports betting and financial markets. Garcia has been covering the US gambling market since 2017. He attended Texas Tech University as an undergrad and received a Master of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College Chicago.