House Bill 1540 was reviewed and amended by the Senate Appropriations Committee at a Thursday hearing at the Indiana capitol. The bill was proposed by Rep. Tom Dermody (R-LaPorte) and suggested that live dealers should be permitted at the state’s two racinos, among other things.
On Monday, March 30, committee members will additionally discuss and vote the passage of the legislation to the Senate. And people with knowledge on the matter believe that the bill’s provisions related to the transfer of the state’s riverboat casinos to adjacent lands will, too, be amended.
Generally speaking, Indiana has two racinos and at present, table games at those are operated by computers. As mentioned above, if Rep. Dermody’s bill is passed into law, live dealers will be allowed to run these operations. Some believe that this might affect the state’s riverboat venues and its economy, as a whole, in a negative manner.
The amendment in question suggested that racinos would be able to add live gaming tables at their premises in more than six years. In other words, they would not be able to seek for these before the beginning of 2021, when they will be supposed to file their petitions to the Indiana Gaming Commission.
This delay in date might be considered a hint at Gov. Mike Pence’s disapproval of any potential expansion of the state’s gambling industry and even at the possibility for this to be vetoed.
Owners and employees of Rising Star Casino Resort, one of Indiana’s riverboat gambling facilities, attended the hearing. They explained their concerns that any amendments to the bill might have a negative effect on the venue, its revenues, and subsequently, on its ability to pay to its staff.
Once it became clear that racinos will be given a five-year delay before being authorized to hire live dealers at their premises, Dan Leo, CEO of Full House Resorts, parent company of Rising Star Casino, thanked the committee members. He also pointed out that if the above-mentioned amendment had not been implemented, his property would have literally struggled to survive. Now, he and his colleagues will have enough time to “figure out” how to remodel the casino’s operations and turn it into a profitable one.
State Senator Chip Perfect (R-Lawrenceburg) was among the committee members who paid special attention to the effects HB 1540 would have had on smaller communities and their businesses, if it had not been amended. He pointed out that many people would have lost their jobs and small-scale businesses would have gone bankrupt. State Sen. Perfect said that in the first place, Indiana legislators should think about its residents and not the revenues that would be generated by the gambling industry.
