Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, on a visit to Evansville, repeated that he still does not support land-based casinos, a proposal favored by many in Southwestern Indiana which has seen six-figure losses in gaming revenues. Going to land-based casinos is critical to Evansville, which sees the move as a financial boost to improving bringing in additional revenues to the city and the state, and sees it as clearing the way for moving LST 325 to the slot now held by the Tropicana Evansville gambling riverboat.
Gov. Pence has seen moving on land as an expansion of gambling in Evansville and Indiana, but supporters of land-based gambling as keeping gambling as a major revenue source to Indiana communities.
Pence was responding to a plea from City Council President John Friend who pushed the idea during a governors town hall meeting before about 50 people in Evansville.
A Courier & Press report on Wednesday said that Tropicana Evansville revenues are projected to fall by $600,000 next year. In no way does that represent an expansion.
Friend said of land-based gambling, "What this would do is, it would expand economic development. Tropicana's already indicated if this happens, they're going to put in, they told me, a $100 million facility here in Evansville, Indiana. I mean, it would be a boon for this community."
Good for Friend.
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