How has it been 20 years already?
Time flies when you’re having fun, and there’s been plenty of it to go around at French Lick Casino over the last two decades. November 3, 2026 marks the 20-year anniversary since the casino’s grand opening. Let’s celebrate by looking back at snapshots from the early days, from the construction process to the big opening day and beyond.
An aerial view of the original casino, built in a riverboat style next to water as state law dictated at the time.
We might not have a casino in the first place without the "Orange Shirts." They were a group of citizens from our local community who advocated for a casino license for more than a decade. Prior to that, Orange County had one of the state's highest unemployment rates, and the hope was a casino could revive a struggling community. The Orange Shirts took their fight to the Indiana statehouse on several occasions, and their persistence paid in 2003 with the passage of a local referendum and transfer of a casino license. That opened the door for French Lick Casino to come to life.
Below, the Orange Shirts were recognized on grand opening day at the casino.
The official awarding of the gaming license to French Lick on November 9, 2005, with former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels giving remarks.
Progress of construction on the casino, which was built where a driving range and tennis complex used to be.
Finally ... after years of challenges and obstacles, French Lick Casino was completed and ready to welcome guests in fall 2006.
Waiting for the doors to open for the very first time on October 31, 2006. A soft opening on Halloween attracted VIP guests and media from around the state.
Guests streaming down the spiral staircase into the casino lobby at the soft opening, when 4,000 guests played slots and table games until midnight.
At the jam-packed opening, the daughters of Jack Carnes (pictured at center) were among the first to place a bet at the new casino. Jack was a longtime town council member and helped lead the Orange Shirts as a staunch advocate for the casino after a 50-year career working at French Lick Springs Hotel. He and his wife were tragically killed in a car accident in September 2004, and while Jack was never able to see the casino's official arrival, his family and fellow casino advocates were there to see the dream become reality.
The original 42,000-square-foot gaming floor at French Lick Casino featured 1,239 slot machines. The crowds kept on coming with more than 156,000 guests in the first month.
Cutting the ribbon for the opening of a new High Limit room, which arrived a few years later on May 1, 2009. By 2010, a new look was in place as the casino expanded more than 20 percent to 51,000 square feet and the exterior underwent a facelift to replace the "riverboat" theme.
The casino's grand opening coincided with the reopening of French Lick Springs Hotel following a multi-million-dollar restoration. Here, former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (wearing red tie) and other dignitaries toured the hotel during their 2005 visit to award the casino license.
Happy 20th, French Lick Casino! You've never looked better. Looking forward to the next 20 years of fun times and jackpot moments.
