Slots bill could bring 1,000 jobs to Hoosier Park in Anderson

Herald Bulletin

It could be the most important piece of legislation Madison County has seen in a generation.

Tuesday, the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee of the Indiana Senate will review a bill authorizing slot machines at Indiana horse-racing tracks. If House Bill 1835 gets out of committee and passes the Senate, it could mean as many as 1,000 new jobs for Hoosier Park.

"We need help, and we need it right now," said Rick Moore, president and general manager of Hoosier Park. "I've seen it in other parts of the country, it works. Anderson will become a destination point."

Experts predict 800 to 1,000 new jobs if the bill passes, a greater influx than Madison County has seen in decades. In a city decimated by auto industry layoffs, slot machines could put Anderson residents back to work.