Posted on: December 12, 2025, 03:32h.
Last updated on: December 11, 2025, 02:46h.
- Boyd Gaming plans to satisfy Illinois’ riverboat gaming law with a water basin in East Peoria
- The water basin is to include about 1,000 gallons of water
- A land-based casino would need to operate in Peoria
Boyd Gaming intends to stay in East Peoria, Ill.
After months of speculation and bickering between city officials in East Peoria and Peoria, separated only by the Illinois River, Las Vegas-based Boyd has revealed plans to build a “modernized riverboat” that will keep its gaming and resort operation on the river’s eastern banks.
On Thursday, Boyd pitched the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) with an initial plan to replace its Par-A-Dice Casino riverboat with a larger, modernized facility. To appease an intercity governmental agreement between East Peoria and Peoria executed in 1991 that requires the state-issued license to move across the water to Peoria, should land-based casino gaming be authorized, Boyd plans to install a small water feature below what is otherwise a brick-and-mortar casino structure.
The Boyd plans include a 1,000-gallon water basin fed by the Illinois River to be placed underneath the forthcoming facility’s concrete slab. The proposed “modernized riverboat,” as Boyd is calling the project, would be built against the current Par-A-Dice Hotel, predominantly on the hotel’s south-facing side.
Boyd Casino Staying Above Water
Boyd is seeking to reverse its Illinois riverboat’s gaming fortunes, as annual revenue from its East Peoria slot machines and table games declined from $82.5 million in 2006 to just $60.5 million last year.
Peoria and East Peoria split Par-A-Dice’s 5% local share of the state gaming tax. East Peoria retains all other tax revenue generated at Par-A-Dice, including taxes on hotel stays, food and beverage, entertainment, weddings, and meetings.
When Boyd Gaming announced it was considering how to strengthen its Par-A-Dice operation, Peoria officials quickly reminded the casino company and the local government in East Peoria about the 1991 agreement. Illinois lawmakers authorized land-based casinos in 2019.
Though the new Par-A-Dice casino structure floated by Boyd is, by most opinions, a land-based facility, the underground water basin seemingly satisfies the state’s legal interpretation of a riverboat gambling.
Riverboat gambling … may be authorized upon any water within the State of Illinois,” Section 3(c) of the Illinois Gambling Act reads.
The Act doesn’t specify how much water a docked or moored riverboat casino must touch or hover above. Boyd’s proposed 1,000 water basin amounts to the same size as a common residential home propane or water tank.
Peoria Reviewing Proposal
Peoria officials say they only found out about Boyd Gaming’s East Peoria plans during the Thursday meeting before the IGB. The city and its attorneys will take time to review the Boyd proposal to determine their next steps.
Boyd’s presentation includes a 29K-square-foot casino, more than 20K square feet of meeting space, a new upscale steakhouse, a beer pub, and a porte-cochere entrance.
The current Par-A-Dice riverboat offers 550 slot machines, 18 table games, and a FanDuel sportsbook. The proposed casino could accommodate many more gaming positions.
