(INDIANAPOLIS) - Local voters -- not state lawmakers -- would have the final say on whether a new casino comes to their county under a proposal advancing at the Statehouse.
House Bill 1038 requires a mandatory countywide referendum in any community selected to host the state's potential 14th casino license. Residents in Steuben, DeKalb or Allen counties would vote on the project in a November 2026 referendum before construction could move forward.
The Indiana Gaming Commission would choose a host county through a competitive process, but a casino could only be built with both local government support and voter approval. If voters reject the proposal, the commission would be barred from issuing a license there.
Developers would have to invest at least $500 million in construction and amenities over five years and pay $150 million in licensing fees, most of which would go to the state's general fund.
Lawmakers added the referendum requirement during conference committee negotiations after it had been removed earlier in the legislative process, making a public vote mandatory rather than optional.
The legislation grew out of a state study examining relocation of an existing casino license, but lawmakers instead chose to create a new one by converting an unused horse-racing permit while keeping the Rising Sun casino in place.
The bill must still receive final approval in the Indiana Legislature before the current session ends in order to reach the governor's desk.