Golden Nuggets Danville is making strides toward becoming the next Illinois casino to open.
The property’s developers handed the city a $1 million check last week, part of the Host Community Agreement Golden Nugget made with the city.
The money will go toward the city’s riverfront development. The developers, Wilmorite Construction and the Wilmot Family, agreed to contribute $3 million in donations. The riverfront development, the Boys and Girls Club of Danville and the Danville Municipal Project will divide the total donation.
The check presentation came during a preview of the upcoming casino, attended by approximately 25 people. The property is located at 204 Eastgate Drive in Danville.
Local leaders pleased with Danville casino so far
According to Commercial-News, Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr said he was impressed by what he saw. When Danville Development president Jimmy Wilmot asked the Mayor what he thought of the property, Mayor Williams responded, “Jimmy, this is incredible.”
Local Aldermen also attended the sneak preview.
Still, Golden Nugget Danville is a work in progress. Guests had to navigate around ladders and avoid wires hanging from the ceiling. All are normal signs of an in-progress casino project, indicating Danville’s casino is well on its way to an opening.
Hiring for the property has been going well, too. The first dealer school had more than 40 dealers. The casino hopes to have 100 dealers in addition to other staff when it first opens.
About Golden Nugget Danville
There’s no opening date set for Golden Nugget Danville, but the progress update from last week is encouraging. During the tour, Wilmot reportedly said he hopes to open the property within the next few months.
When the casino opens in full, it will feature up to 500 slot machines and 14 table games, including baccarat, blackjack, three-card poker, craps, roulette and more.
A sportsbook is also planned for the property, and Golden Nugget intends to launch an Illinois online sports betting platform using its tethered license.
Other Illinois casinos are on the way
The Golden Nugget Danville project is the latest in a long line of new Illinois casino projects.
Most recently, The Temporary by American Place in Waukegan opened its doors in mid-February. The response has been positive thus far. More than 40,000 guests visited the property in its first 12 days open to the public. Those numbers could very well go up in the coming months, as The Temporary plans to expand its hours to be open 24/7 soon. Additionally, the coming weeks should bring more table games to players in the area. New restaurants are also on the way.
Meanwhile, Bally’s plans to open its own temporary property in Chicago. The Medinah Temple is now expected to open in June as the company also focuses on its permanent River West property. The permanent Bally’s Chicago casino is targeting a 2026 opening, complete with a full casino floor, entertainment space, and numerous restaurants.
Further, three more properties could open in 2023:
- Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort in Williamson County is scheduled to open sometime in 2023
- A permanent Hard Rock Rockford casino is scheduled to open late in 2023 (the Hard Rock: Opening Act temporary casino opened in 2021)
- Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino on the border between Homewood and East Hazel Crest is scheduled to open in late 2023 or early 2024
