The Indiana Senate recently approved House Bill 1350, which assures local governments they will receive their guaranteed shares of state gaming tax revenue until July 2021. Without the amended bill, sponsored by state Senator Chip Perfect, the million of supplemental admission tax annually distributed to casino communities and the million provided to non-casino communities would have been reduced by a rate equal to the yearly decline in total state gaming revenue compared to 2016. Instead, the reductions will not start until July 2021 and 2020 will be used as the base year for comparison purposes.
Perfect said Indiana’s gaming industry faces changes , such as the opening of a tribal casino near South Bend. Therefore, immediate gaming revenue reductions could significantly impact local government budgets.
Following Senate approval, the measure will go to a House-Senate conference committee.
