Davenport city leaders vote 10 to nothing to negotiate with Ingenus Management, showing they are all in when it comes to a land-based casino.
The Ingenus plan includes an interstate casino at I-80 and 280, and then a smaller, boutique casino downtown. That's the plan the city's consultant recommended. And it's one most council members favored.
At the same time, some aldermen have been backing another plan, proposed by Restoration St. Louis for a downtown location. But first thing Wednesday morning, reps from that company met with city leaders and took their proposal off the table, essentially taking away a big point of contention for council members.
While some still back a downtown plan, and like the idea of working with a familiar company like Restoration St. Louis, aldermen tell us it was more important to come together and present a united front. They say that sends a message not only to the city, but also the Racing and Gaming Commission, which makes the final decision.
Wednesday night's council decision let's the city's negotiating team move forward, taking another step toward making this land-based casino a reality. Alderman Bill Edmond says, "We just want to do our due diligence now, make sure we get the best deal for the city of davenport. I think we've shown Ingenus that they are our first choice." Alderman Bill Boom says, "I think in three weeks, we'll be able to get a better feel for this team and see if it's the team we want to represent Davenport in this effort."
The city's negotiating team will be working with the Ingenus team, looking at design, a cost benefit analysis and whether another property owner could more cost effectively build that downtown boutique casino.
