The Indiana Senate Public Policy Committee recently narrowly rejected Senate Bill 354, introduced by state Senator Jon Ford, which would have allowed Full House Resorts to relocate up to half of the games licensed for its Rising Star Casino Resort in Ohio County to a new facility in Terre Haute. But lawmakers voted 5-5 on the bill, and committee chairman state Senator Ron Alting cast the deciding vote against it. The proposed casino would have offered up to 720 slots and 30 gaming tables, and created 750 jobs.
The bill would have provided monetary support funds to competitors, but Tropicana Evansville, French Lick and the Anderson and Shelbyville racinos claimed the Terre Haute casino would have cannibalized their businesses. Tropicana General Manager said, “It would definitely affect our business in Evansville. Any loss of revenue not only impacts the revenue of the casino, but it also affects the revenue of the city.” The casino is moving into a new $50 million casino on a land-based site.
Ford had said Terre Haute offers an excellent casino location since it’s located at least two hours from similar gaming operations in Indiana and Illinois. French Lick Resort Casino is 108 miles away in Orange County. He noted the proposal had the support of the Terre Haute city council, the Chamber of Commerce and local law enforcement.
Allowing a Terre Haute casino would have been the first time legislators agreed to split a gaming license between two locations. Although testimony prior to the vote overwhelmingly supported the Terre Haute casino, most senators said they had to consider the entire state, including their own districts. State Senator Vaneta Becker of Evansville said, “First of all, it benefits one casino company to the determent of many others. This would hurt my community and it would also hurt Tropicana’s investment in what they’ve done. I think statewide this is very bad precedent.”
