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December 5, 2009

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French Lick to break ground for casino Tuesday

Monday, Aug. 8, 2005 | 9:13 a.m.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. -- After years of waiting, Orange County residents will gather this week for a ceremonial groundbreaking for Indiana's newest riverboat casino -- a project that carries great hopes for the economically struggling county.

Actual earth-moving on the project work won't begin until October, but Tuesday's ceremony in French Lick comes after local officials and Blue Sky Casino executives signed off on an agreement that details how Orange County communities will benefit from the casino project.

Under that agreement, Blue Sky, a partnership between Indianapolis-based real estate developer Lauth Group and a foundation formed by Bloomington-based Cook Group, will share some of its gambling earnings with locals on a sliding scale from 1 percent to 5 percent.

The more the casino makes, the more local communities get. For example, if the casino makes $100 million a year, local officials get $4 million to share. The beneficiaries include Orange County and the towns of French Lick and West Baden Springs.

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