Posted on: October 21, 2025, 08:30h.
Last updated on: October 21, 2025, 08:30h.
The Silver Nugget Springfield Casino debuted in June 2024 and so far, the establishment has been thriving. To such an extent that the management team is considering the potential addition of a lodging facility in the future, although the possibility of a physical sports betting location seems less likely.
During a recent celebration marking the casino’s one-year anniversary in the Illinois city, General Manager Jahnae Erpenbach reaffirmed that a hotel is included in the venue’s long-term strategy. However, assessing the demand is crucial in determining the timing of major property expansions, as the casino is one of the newest in the state.
“We need to make sure we balance the demand with our ability to do that,” she stated during the event.
This casino is a collaborative effort between the Wilmot family and Tilman Fertitta, whose Fertitta Entertainment Inc. (FEI) oversees the Silver Nugget brand.
Impressive Start for Silver Nugget Springfield Without Accommodations
Typically, casinos and hotels are closely linked, but there are numerous instances of gaming facilities in the US that do not have guest rooms. This is often due to market considerations such as population size and the region’s capacity to attract events and tourists.
Despite the absence of a hotel, Silver Nugget Springfield has achieved a strong beginning. At the recent event, President Jimmy Wilmot emphasized the casino’s financial contributions to the city. Since the casino’s opening, it has paid $2.8 billion in gaming taxes, $350,000 in property taxes, $402,000 in sales taxes, and an additional $45,000 in food and beverage taxes to Danville. Moreover, the casino has contributed $5.6 million in taxes to the state of Illinois and has made $420,000 in purchases from local businesses since its inception.
These financial benefits are significant for Danville, which relied on the casino to help address its public pension deficit. Wilmot noted that approximately half of the visitors to Silver Nugget Springfield came from outside Illinois.
This is important as the property could face competition from Churchill Downs’ Terre Haute Casino Resort in Indiana, located about an hour’s drive southeast of Silver Nugget Springfield. Erpenbach acknowledged that there was an impact on Silver Nugget when Churchill introduced the Indiana casino hotel in April, but this will not affect the long-term plans in Danville.
Sportsbook Plans Delayed in Silver Nugget Springfield
Erpenbach expressed hope that Silver Nugget Springfield will eventually offer a retail sportsbook, but this is unlikely in the short to medium term as DraftKings already has a presence in Illinois and would need to pay an additional $10 million for a sports betting license at Silver Nugget Springfield.
Given the higher taxes faced by the gaming company in the state, this licensing fee is not cost-effective, especially considering that in Illinois, like the rest of the US, the majority of sports bets are placed online rather than in person.
DraftKings and Silver Nugget have a connection through DraftKing’s acquisition of Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) in 2022, making Fertitta one of the largest shareholders in the online sportsbook operator.