A wide-ranging gambling bill designed to protect Indiana casinos from border-state competition would allow live table games at two central Indiana venues.
There’s a little something for each of Indiana’s 13 casinos in a bill written by Sen. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville. Riverboat casinos would be allowed to build on adjacent land. Indiana would stop taxing free-play coupons. And the racetrack-casinos in Anderson and Shelbyville, currently limited to slot machines and video-based table games, could add live dealers.
“I’m not looking to try to expand gambling, or gaming,” Boots said. “I want to keep our casinos and racinos competitive. This should help them.”
Wagering taxes are a major source of state revenue, providing $614 million, or 4.3 percent of general fund revenue, in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
State budget forecasters expect that revenue to take a hit from new casinos in Ohio, three of which opened last year in Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus.
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