By Barrett Newkirk, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
SHELBYVILLE — Construction work on Indiana’s second permanent racino is on track for an opening day sometime early next year.
Indiana Live Casino, located southeast of Indianapolis along Interstate 74, is about 80 percent complete on its exterior, project manager Chris Blust said during an preview event for the media on Wednesday.
Most of the remaining work is on the facility’s interior, where dirt and concrete floors will eventually be covered with carpet and nearly 2,000 electronic gaming machines.
Blust said the 233,000-square-foot building and its attached three-story parking garage should be finished by mid-March. Officials with Indiana Downs, the company operating the casino, have not announced an opening day.
The company opened a temporary casino on June 9, a week after Hoosier Park Racing and Casino opened in Anderson. Both locations have attracted thousands of gamblers in the past three months. In August alone, Indiana Live earned an adjusted gross revenue of $14.6 million. Hoosier Park’s revenue for the same month was slightly under $17.1 million.
Tricia Lavore, Indiana Live’s vice president for marketing, said moving to the permanent facility should only draw more visitors.
“You’re talking about going from 65,000 square feet to over 200,000 square feet,” she said. “In addition to the dining and amenities, this will be a more expansive gaming experience for our customers.”
Lavore said she couldn’t predict what kind of impact Indiana Live’s permanent facility would have on Hoosier Park’s business, but she expected there to be some affect.
“We’re in a temporary facility, and they’re in a permanent facility already, so getting ready to introduce what we’re going to introduce, I think we will be competitive,” she said.
With more competition coming from only about an hour south of Anderson, Hoosier Park will continue to stay focused on its goal of offering fully integrated gaming, racing and dining attractions, said Jim Brown, the site’s general manager for gaming.
“We believe we have great products and great service, and we’re going to stand on that,” Brown said. “We wish them luck, and we’re going to continue to hold our own.”
Both sites will offer roughly 2,000 electronic gambling machines, including some electronic table games, which Indiana Live will introduce at its temporary casino in the next few days.
The permanent site will house a centrally located bar and four restaurants that hug the gaming floor. The dining sites set to open are Maker’s Mark Steakhouse, NASCAR Sports Grill, Angel’s Rock Bar, and Live Market, which will offer international food.
Hoosier Park’s racino takes up 172,000 square feet of space, with 54,000 square feet dedicated to gaming on a single level. Indiana Live’s permanent casino will hold most of its the gaming and dining attraction on the first level. A second level will house VIP rooms and casino offices.
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Indiana Live by the numbers
233,000: Square feet of gambling facility
2,000: Approximate number of gaming machines
350: Approximate number of employees
4: Number of restaurants
