Gambling 'weariness' hurts Fort Wayne's slot chances, lawmakers say

Niki Kelly and Benjamin Lanka, The Journal Gazette

nkelly@jg.net; blanka@jg.net

INDIANAPOLIS - Allen County would be home to the state's newest casino under proposed legislation that would move 500 slot machines from the Hoosier Park casino in Anderson to an off-track betting parlor in Fort Wayne.

But the effort has long odds in a legislative session in which many lawmakers are tiring of the annual fight over gambling.

"There is a weariness from legislators over gambling," said Rep. Terri Austin, D-Anderson, the author of the bill. And that fatigue is her biggest roadblock, she conceded.

House Bill 1577 would authorize 500 slot machines in Fort Wayne, where Hoosier Park currently runs an off-track betting parlor on West Washington Center Road. The Anderson casino and horse track currently has about 2,000 machines.