The mayor of Danville lives near a Big Lots store, where a bus from East Peoria’s Par-A-Dice Casino regularly stops to pick up customers. Mayor Rickey Williams Junior says he hopes a casino planned for his eastern Illinois city will lead to other buses bringing out-of-towners to Danville instead.

The casino operator approved by the Danville City Council this week still has to obtain a state gaming license. But the mayor of Danville says once it’s built, the casino will be an economic boon.