Is the Par-A-Dice Riverboat Casino in East Peoria Moving Ashore?

Has Illinois changed its law requiring casinos to be "on the water"? I see where Boyd Gaming, owners of the Par-A-Dice riverboat casino and hotel in East Peoria, have purchased the adjacent Hampton Inn and rebranded it "Par-A-Dice Inn." Does this signal relocating the existing casino onto the footprints of two current parking lots given that the Hampton provides them with not only more hotel rooms but parking spaces to replace those which are being lost?

No, Par-A-Dice will remain water-borne. “As we wish to stay at our current location in East Peoria (which is currently home to two hotels, meeting space, and several restaurants), our proposed expansion will be a water-based facility,” explains Boyd Gaming spokesman David Strow.

The Illinois on-water requirement, however, was rescinded in 2019, under the auspices of Public Act 101-003. For a nominal fee of $250,000, casinos can move ashore. Section 10/7(k) of the Illinois Gambling Act would permit Boyd and others to “conduct land-based gambling operations upon approval by the Board (Illinois Gaming Board) and payment of a fee of $250,000, which shall be deposited into the State Gaming Fund.”

Continues Strow, “Our decision to build a water-based facility has to do with an intergovernmental agreement between the cities of Peoria and East Peoria. The agreement (entered into by the cities in the 1990s) states that East Peoria has the right to host a riverboat casino, while Peoria would have the right to host a land-based casino.”

Since not going ashore is thriftier and consumes less dry land, that's how Boyd is playing the Par-A-Dice.

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Donzack May-23-2026

Rivers casino

I recall an article about Rivers casino in Des Plaines Illinois when being built in 2011. It’s across the street from the Des Plaines river at which point you’d be lucky to float a canoe. The article said that they simply dug a hole, filled it with water and Illinois gave them permission to build a casino. I’m sure there were “special fees” involved.

jstewa22 May-23-2026

over-water requirements

I wonder what the logic is behind several states having that "on the water" requirement for casinos, I think it's supposed to be a technical extension of the riverboat concept but as Donzack points out, it gets pretty silly.  Mississippi used to have that requirement, and several of the casinos in Tunica float (or at least used to float) in a water basin about three feet deep, with the water piped in from the Mississippi river a few miles away.  The state ultimately dropped the water requirement after Katrina destroyed most of the Biloxi and Gulfport casinos and state revenue dropped by (I think) about 30%.

AZmaddog May-23-2026

Tunica

The problem with Tunica's water requirements was too nany casinos were going underwater. :) I fondly remember making the 8 hour drive from Chicago for good games, good food, and good accommodations -- until they tightened up and the customers caught on.

O2bnVegas May-23-2026

Tunica on the water

Tunica's first casino was Splash, which was truly on the river.  They charged $10 to enter and the line was long.  No hotel, just a sweet little casino and a killer buffet with truly good steaks.  Busses from everywhere to Splash were free at first, then had to charge a small fee (I forget how much) when homeless and others rode in just for the buffet.  The $10 charge was eliminated at some point.  A few other casinos came along and one I can't recall but it was an actual riverboat, three floors of mostly machines.  Eventually the 'real' casinos came along in Robinsonville, still referred to as Tunica to this day.  Splash and the others moved elsewhere.  I had something like $300 in coin on the books at the riverboat.  Saw the news the casino was sailing away the coming weekend.  Husband and I drove like mad to get there (3 hours).  Just as we got there the boat was literally sailing away!  I asked husband if it would do any good if I swam out to it to get my $300.  Uh...no.

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