- Indiana legislation to permit a casino in the Fort Wayne region is making progress
- State lawmakers are seemingly on board with allowing a current casino to move northeast
Legislation in Indiana to allow Full House Resorts in Rising Sun or any other casino to relocate its state-issued gaming license to the Fort Wayne region has cleared its first major hurdle.
On Monday, the Indiana House of Representatives voted 67-30 in favor of House Bill 1038. Introduced by Indiana Rep. Craig Snow (R-Warsaw), the statute would allow a currently licensed casino operator to construct and open a casino somewhere in the counties of Allen, DeKalb, or Steuben. Wayne County would also qualify for consideration.
The original text of HB1038 reserved the relocation for Full House by reading that only a “licensed owner or permit holder may apply to the Gaming Commission to relocate the Ohio County riverboat license to an inland casino in Allen County, DeKalb County, Steuben County, or Wayne County.”
The bill was amended during the House proceedings to allow any of the 13 casinos to bid on the Fort Wayne opportunity. The winning bidder will need to invest at least $500 million in the new casino and pay a one-time fee of $50 million to the state and $30 million to Ohio County.
Before a winning bidder could propose a development to the Indiana Gaming Commission, the county’s government would need to endorse the project. Each county is additionally free to hold a local referendum to gauge support for gaming.
Sun Sets on Rising Star?
While the entire state gaming industry has been welcomed into HB1038, Full House Resorts has been lobbying to relocate.
Rising Sun is no longer the attractive gaming market that it was when the riverboat casino opened as the Grand Victoria in 1996. Since then, commercial casinos have come to Ohio, with Hard Rock operating a casino in nearby Cincinnati. In 2021, Kentucky legalized slot-like historical horse racing (HHR) machines at parimutuel facilities.
Full House’s Rising Star paid only $1.3 million in state admission (supplemental) taxes last year, by far the lowest of the 13 commercial casinos operating in Indiana. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana paid $60.9 million.
A study commissioned by the Indiana Gaming Commission determined that, aside from downtown Indianapolis, the Fort Wayne region is the most underserved gaming market.
Full House is ready to fold on Rising Sun. That was made evident by the fact that Rising Star didn’t issue a single dollar in free play last year. By comparison, Hard Rock Northern Indiana handed out $11.5 million in complimentary credits.
Full House will almost certainly bet on the Fort Wayne casino, should the Senate also pass the bill and Gov. Mike Braun (R) sign the measure.
Senate Odds
The Indiana Senate is expected to follow the House in endorsing HB1038.
There continues to be support for the option of moving a casino northeast,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Morgan). “The study obviously shows that it would be profitable. I look optimistically at the bill.”
Indiana casino revenue for the 12 months ending June 30, 2025, totaled $2.46 billion, a 2.2% increase from the prior year.
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