Rush Street’s Illinois casino partnership with Clairvest ends

The partnership between Rush Street Gaming and the Clairvest Group, which dates from 2011, has come to an end after a third company, Churchill Downs, bought the entire Clairvest stake in the Rivers Casino of Des Plaines, Illinois.

Rush Street and Clairvest are offering rival bids to partner with Tomakomai city in Hokkaido, separately competing against four other international IR operators.

In Illinois, Churchill Downs will take a 50.1 percent stake in the Rivers Casino in a deal worth about $500 million, but Rush Street will continue to manage daily operations.

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen commented, “We are thrilled to partner with Neil Bluhm and Rush Street Gaming in Rivers Des Plaines. This property is the crown jewel of Illinois gaming and one of the country’s premier casinos.”

For his part, Clairvest Vice-Chairman Jeff Parr stated, “Clairvest has enjoyed an excellent partnership with Neil Bluhm and the entire Rush Street and Rivers Casino management teams. We look forward to working together on other gaming projects in the future.”

In order for the deal to be finalized, the approval of the Illinois Gaming Board is necessary.

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