Legislation outlining steps required to site a casino at Terre Haute received a reading in the Indiana Senate Tuesday and was assigned to the chamber’s Public Policy Committee.
Senate Bill 552, authored by Sen. Jon Ford, R-Terre Haute, and Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, allows a Gary riverboat license to move to Terre Haute if the Gary City Council approves and the Terre Haute City Council agrees. It also provides that the holder of another riverboat license could apply to the Indiana Gaming Commission to move operations to Vigo County.
Also Tuesday, the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce endorsed a casino, launching a “Terre Haute Is All In” initiative and website, www.terrehauteisallin.com
“Our board of directors, which represents dozens of businesses in west-central Indiana, really believes this could be a win for our members and the entire business community,” Chamber Vice President Kristen Craig said in a news release.
The chamber said a casino would be a $100 million to $150 million investment and create 300 to 400 jobs. It would also provide revenue from the local share of the state gaming tax along with increases in property tax, income tax, food and beverage tax and innkeeper’s tax.
Terre Haute businessman Greg Gibson is among those interested in locating a casino in Terre Haute by moving one of two Gary licenses. He has partnered with Rod Ratcliff, former chairman and CEO of Centaur Gaming, to form Spectacle Entertainment, which is seeking to acquire the license holder of the Gary casinos.
Gibson is also a principal partner with Rachel Leslie in RJL Solutions, which the chamber said is its “advocacy partner” in endorsing a casino.
Full House Resorts, which operates the Rising Star Casino at Rising Sun, Indiana, is also interested in a Terre Haute location. Full House saw a 2017 effort to land a satellite casino in Terre Haute fail on a tie vote in the Senate Public Policy committee.
Addressing concerns cited at that time, this year’s legislation would allow other operators to apply for a Terre Haute casino.
Ed Feigenbaum, editor of Indiana Gaming Insight, called SB 552 a “kitchen sink” bill because it contains numerous provisions affecting casinos, race tracks, other gaming venues and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission.
It authorizes sports wagering at horse tracks, riverboats, a Vigo County casino and satellite facilities. It also allows table games at race tracks and requires a Vigo casino to provide $3 million annually to help maintain the West Baden Springs historic hotel.
John Collett, a member of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce board and chair of its advocacy committee, said the group does not favor one casino proposal over another.
“It’s all about economic development,” he said, adding that new hotel, restaurant and retail investment would come with a casino. “When I think of revenue I think of improvements in education and infrastructure.”
Revenue from a casino might allow the county to eliminate “some of the taxes some people aren’t supportive of,” Collett said.
The combination of a casino, a new convention center and a renovated Hulman Center would bring new visitors to Terre Haute and the community could then showcase its parks, golf courses and other attractions to tourists, he said.
Under the Ford-Messmer legislation, voter approval would be required for any new or relocated casino.
Vigo County resident Todd Bolin asked about such a referendum Tuesday at a meeting of county commissioners. Bolin said he has heard from several people opposed to a casino and such a decision should not be made by those he called “power brokers.”
He said, “I would like for the citizens to be able to make that decision and not be based upon people who are there to make the most profit from it.”
Jeanne Rewa, who opposed the last effort to locate a casino at Terre Haute, took exception to the chamber’s use of the phrase “all in” to indicate its support.
“‘All in’ in gambling terms kind of represents taking a big risk and that is what betting on a casino feels like to me,” Rewa said, questioning how much impact a casino would actually have on the community.
“My experience with past proposals is that there were very big gaps in economic assessments,” she said. “I would hope that our community would do a much deeper impact assessment before endorsing something that’s risky.”