INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana House approved Tuesday a plan to replace the $3 per person casino admission tax with an additional wagering tax, starting in July 2018.
House Bill 1350, which now goes to the Senate, aims to save casinos that move on land or add non-gaming amenities from having to pay admission tax multiple times for patrons who repeatedly enter and leave the gaming floor.
The change to an additional wagering tax, capped at 3.5 percent, is expected to reduce revenue to Northwest Indiana local governments by a total of $4.5 million between 2018 and 2022, according to the nonpartisanIndiana Legislative Services Agency.
That's a far cry from an earlier version of the proposal that would have immediately cost Region governments approximately $9.8 million a year.
The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Todd Huston, R-Fishers, also seeks to make Indiana casinos more competitive with tribal gaming by fixing a "double taxation" issue where casinos have been forced to pay state income tax on money paid to the state in wagering taxes.
In addition, it requires a legislative study committee this summer look at how Indiana might phase out the $48 million a year the state pays to casino communities to supplement their admission tax receipts.
"This bill will continue, I'm sure, to evolve as the session continues, and I will continue to have lots of conversations with interested stakeholders," Huston said.
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