INDIANAPOLIS | Indiana's top gambling regulator isn't betting on a Chicago casino anytime soon.
Ernest Yelton, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, expressed little confidence Wednesday in a speedy resolution to the Springfield gridlock that has stalled efforts to authorize new casinos for Chicago and the suburbs.
"Although I understand that the same political party has control of the House, the Senate, the governor and the mayor (of Chicago), all four of them disagree about what to do," Yelton said. "I just see no agreement from those people."
Even if Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reaches a gambling expansion accord with legislative leaders, Yelton said, past practice suggests the state will botch the deal to the benefit of Indiana's five Lake Michigan casinos.
"One of our advantages to Illinois is they, historically, seem to do everything wrong," he said. "Everything they seem to do has backfired, and it's been to our benefit."
Yelton said Illinois lawmakers drove gamblers to Northwest Indiana casinos by raising wagering taxes four years ago. A looming smoking ban in Illinois casinos could have the same effect, he said.
"Starting Jan. 1, they're going to have a smoking ban," Yelton said. "Well, when Don Barden bought the Trump (Casino in Gary two years ago), he made one floor smoke-free, and within two weeks he had to change it because people wouldn't go. Gamblers smoke."
Yelton's comments came during a panel discussion on state gaming issues hosted by the Indianapolis law firm Bingham McHale and INGroup, which publishes several weekly newsletters covering Hoosier politics. The panel, which included Michael Smith, executive director of the Casino Association of Indiana, expressed concern about future competition from neighboring states.
Revenues are down more than 20 percent at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City since August, when Four Winds Casino, a land-based Indian casino, opened 10 miles away in New Buffalo, Mich. And Kentucky Gov.-elect Steve Beshear ran on a pro-casino platform that soon could spell competition for southern Indiana riverboats.
A new casino in Chicago or the south suburbs likely would encroach on casinos in East Chicago, Gary and Hammond. But Smith said Indiana's more favorable tax structure has encouraged investments, including the $485 million Horseshoe Casino expansion in Hammond that will make region casinos stronger competitors.
© Copyright 2024, nwitimes.com, Munster, IN