Bally's Evansville is a

casino hotel A casino hotel is an establishment consisting of a casino with temporary lodging provided in an on-premises hotel. Customers receive the benefits of both gambling facilities and lodging. Since the casino and hotel are located on the same premis ...

and entertainment complex in downtown

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, owned by

Gaming and Leisure Properties Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in casino properties, based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. It was formed in November 2013 as a corporate spin-off from Penn National Gaming. The company owns ...

and operated by

Bally's Corporation Bally's Corporation is a gaming, betting, and interactive entertainment company headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. It owns and operates 15 casinos across ten states, a horse track in Colorado, and online sports betting operations in 14 st ...

. Originally named Casino Aztar, it was opened by

Aztar Corporation Aztar Corporation was a hospitality company based in Phoenix, Arizona, focused on resort hotels and casinos. In 2005, the company had revenues of more than $915 million and earnings before interest and taxes of $212 million. During 2006 the compa ...

in 1995 as the state's first casino. The name was changed to Tropicana Evansville in 2013. In 2017, the casino moved from its original

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

into a land-based facility. The main entertainment facility consists of a casino, a 250-room hotel, a 1,660 vehicle parking garage, and pavilion housing pre-boarding facilities, retail shops, restaurants, and lounge area. A new entertainment district with a 100-room boutique hotel and additional restaurants opened in late 2006. In 2005, the casino generated $137 million in revenue and $41 million in profits.

History

Casino Aztar was Indiana's first casino under riverboat gaming legislation passed in 1993. It opened in 1995. The property's name was changed to Tropicana Evansville in 2013. In 2017, the casino moved from its original riverboat into a land-based facility. In 2018, the casino's parent company,

Tropicana Entertainment Tropicana Entertainment Inc. was a publicly traded gaming company that owned and operated casinos and resorts in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Missouri, New Jersey and Aruba. Tropicana properties collectively had approximately 5,500 roo ...

sold its real estate assets, including the Tropicana Evansville, to

(GLP), while

Eldorado Resorts Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corporat ...

(later named Caesars Entertainment) acquired the casinos' operating businesses.

purchased the Tropicana's operating business from Caesars in 2021 for $140 million, leasing the property from GLP for $28 million per year. The property was rebranded as Bally's later that year.

Riverboat

The casino boat, called "''City of Evansville''", was built by

Jeffboat Jeffboat was a shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana founded by James Howard in 1834, a builder of steamboats. The company was owned by the Howard family until it was sold leading up to World War II. Following the war, it became known as the Jeff ...

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...

. It was a replica of the historic '' Robert E. Lee'' racing sidewheel steamboat crafted nearly 130 years ago. Jeffboat deployed 200 workers and spent over twelve months constructing the vessel. The exterior was designed by RA Stern, Inc. to appear as if the boat was straight from the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

era; the interior, designed by Morris & Brown Architects, Ltd., was purely

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

glamor. The boat was long by wide, with a depth of by and stood above water level (including stacks). It weighed 1,589 tons and had a maximum draft of . There was a total of of public space.

Hotels

Tropicana Hotel

The Tropicana Hotel opened on December 17, 1996, originally as the Casino Aztar Hotel.

Le Merigot

Le Merigot, which opened on December 28, 2006, was designed by Los Angeles-based interior designer Laurence Lee.

Riverfront Pavilion

The District

The Downtown Waterfront Entertainment District is a $40 million expansion, opened in 2006. The district includes a 100-room boutique hotel and a multi-venu entertainment facility centered on a riverfront park. Jillian’s Billiards Club and Ri Ra Irish Pub opened to the public on September 15, 2006. The Le Merigot Hotel and Blush Ultralounge and Tapas Bar opened on December 28, 2006. The complex is located across from the existing hotel. Following an unsuccessful run of business by Jillian's, it has since gone out of business and was replaced by Stoney's Rockin' Country Bar in 2011. Stoney's Rockin' Country Bar went out of business in December 2012. Boogie Nights, a dance club with a 1970s and 1980s theme entered the space in 2013 along with The Sports Book Bar & Grill. The Sports Book Bar & Grill closed in December 2014 as a result of management issues. Chido Mexican Bar & Grill will open in that space in August 2015, between Boogie Nights and Ri Ra Irish Pub & Restaurant.

References

{{Evansville, Indiana Hotel buildings completed in 1995 Casinos in Indiana Buildings and structures in Evansville, Indiana Tourist attractions in Evansville, Indiana 1995 establishments in Indiana