On December 16, 2021, Full House Resorts filed legal action against Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) for awarding Churchill Downs a license to build a casino in Vigo County. Three weeks later, the firm withdrew the legal action, paving the way for Churchill Downs to build the Terre Haute casino in west-central Indiana.
Jon Swaner, an anchor at WTHI-TV Terre Haute, broke the news on his Twitter account. He wrote that Full House had dropped its lawsuit, and Churchill Downs could begin building their casino. He also noted that the news channel was not sure about the specific venue the casino would be built in but promised to return with more information on News 10.
A letter sent to Dennis Mullen, the IGC general counsel, noted that Full House did not intend to delay plans for Churchill Downs to build a casino. The attorney behind the letter continued to explain that Full House realized that nothing would have changed if the whole process of rewarding a license was reopened and redone.
Full House’s lawyer also wrote that the firm disagreed with the characterizations made regarding their merits and motives for their lawsuit. He added that the firm’s request was for the gaming commission to continue viewing Full House as a company with high integrity and character.
More About the Case
Full House had filed the case against IGC in the Marion County Superior Court Indianapolis. The firm claimed that the gaming commission had broken the Open Door Law, refused to grant it a casino license, and favored Churchill Downs by giving it a license without public debate, explanation, comments, or discussion about it.
Barely a week after the case was filed on December 16, the gaming commission defended its process for selecting Churchill. The executive director Greg Small criticized Full House for its legal action. The commissions’ chairman Michael McMains even dismissed the filed case terming it sour grapes.
McMains thanked the firm for withdrawing their case. He added that West Central Indiana would benefit from the decision.
Full House has five casinos in Indiana, Nevada, Colorado, and Mississippi. The resort also got a license to develop a new American Place casino planned for Waukegan, Illinois.
A Break From Legal Proceedings
Terre Haute residents can now start counting days after a tedious month of legal proceedings. Indiana faced another legal challenge involving Lucy Luck Gaming, which lost its operating license. The casino took it to court to challenge the gaming commission of its decision.
The court favored the gaming commission, but Lucy Luck appealed the decision. Unfortunately, an Indiana administrative law judge also favored the gaming board, dismissing the gaming operator. However, Lucy Luck got its $5 million license fee back.
Churchill had proposed to build a casino in Terre Haute and dub it Queen of Terre Haute Casino. It would provide over 1000 jobs during the construction period and 500 permanent jobs once the project is completed.
The proposed casino will have 1000 slot machines, 50 table games, and a sportsbook operating under TwinSpires. It will also have a 125 room hotel.
There have been rumors that Churchill plans to change location from the western of Terre Haute to the east.
The firm’s spokesperson confirmed there was still room to reconsider the location of their casino.
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