Posted on: February 26, 2026, 02:11h.
Last updated on: February 26, 2026, 02:11h.
- Boyd Gaming’s plans in East Peoria have been approved
- The Illinois Gaming Board backed a new barge structure at Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino
The Illinois Gaming Board has signed off on Boyd Gaming’s redevelopment of the Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria.
After a chaotic month that saw Boyd flip the script and take the upper hand away from the City of Peoria in negotiating terms for a largely land-based casino on the east side of the Illinois River, state gaming regulators approved the Las Vegas-based casino operator’s plans for a more traditional water-based gaming facility.
Instead of the $160 million plan initially presented to the IGCB that included a brick-and-mortar casino hovering above a small 1,000-gallon water basin to satisfy the Illinois Riverboat Gambling Act, the state accepted the reworked development of a permanently moored barge on the Illinois River.
With the board’s blessing, Boyd Gaming officials told the state that work on the moored structure would begin soon. The plan will set sail on the longtime docked riverboat to provide a more “seamless customer experience” with the destination’s restaurants and a shorter trek to the riverboat’s 202-room hotel.
Boyd’s presentation today additionally included a refreshed Par-A-Dice logo stylized in an Art Deco-like font.
Peoria Loses
The City of Peoria challenged Boyd Gaming’s original plan to modernize Par-A-Dice. City officials contested whether the 1,000-gallon water basin constituted riverboat gambling under state law.
A 1991 intercity governmental agreement requires that all riverboat gaming occur in East Peoria, but all brick-and-mortar gambling must occur in Peoria. While the cities share Par-A-Dice’s local gaming revenue tax, all other taxes, including hotel, food and beverage, and entertainment, remain with East Peoria.
To appease Peoria’s legal challenge of Boyd’s water basin plan, which the company called a “modernized riverboat,” the casino offered to direct 2.25% of all non-gaming revenue it generates to the city. Peoria estimated that would amount to $1.8 million annually.
In a split 5-5 decision, the Peoria City Council rejected Boyd’s offer. Those dissenting thought they could get a better offer from Boyd. They did not.
Boyd instead ditched the water basin concept for the moored structure, which will extend the land-based casino entrance northeast over the water.
Last-Minute Effort
Ahead of the IGB’s Thursday meeting, the City of Peoria asked the state gaming board to require that Boyd Gaming “maximize” the value of the gaming concession. The longshot ask was on the slim hope that the IGB would declare that the best way to achieve the license’s maximum value would be to construct a land-based casino, which would force the development across the Illinois River.
In 2019, Illinois amended its gaming laws to allow riverboats to move inland.
In the end, Boyd is staying put in East Peoria. Boyd has owned and operated the East Peoria casino since 1996, when it acquired the property and gaming license for $163 million from a group of local investors.