INDIANAPOLIS -- Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, confirmed Wednesday morning there will be no live dealers for Indiana's two racinos until 2021.
"I"m afraid that's going to be the case," Lanane said. "We asked for three years instead of five and they said no."
Lanane said the reasoning behind holding off on live dealers until 2021 was to give the other casinos in French Lick and southeast Indiana time to prepare for the increase in competition.
Lanane said the governor's office had also made it clear Gov. Mike Pence would veto any bill with live dealers at the racinos in Anderson and Shelbyville.
The bill still allows the existing riverboat casinos to move on land and take their live table games with them, which Lanane said makes no sense. He said he doesn't understand why the governor has a problem with live dealers at racinos but won't veto live dealers at regular casinos.
"There's no difference," Lanane said.
For now, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino and Indiana Grand will have to be content to wait five years before they can add live dealers.
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