The Mayor of Peoria says any potential revenue growth from gambling in the Peoria area would come from a land based casino in Peoria. Jim Ardis says the approval of land based casinos in other Illinois cities raises the possibility of moving the Par-A-Dice riverboat onto the land.
“I think there is a lot of good places. We have not even had a discussion with the ownership yet. Downtown is a great location. There are other great locations throughout the community that I think we would be very open to discussing with those folks," says Ardis
Ardis says the original agreement between East Peoria and Peoria stipulated that if land based casinos ever became a reality, the license would go to Peoria. Ardis says the split of casino revenue between the two cities would remain the same. He says sales and food and beverage taxes are not part of the agreement.
