By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | Gary's chances for a land-based casino may get a boost Tuesday when the state legislature's Gaming Study Committee votes on its final report.
That report could recommend allowing Gary's casino to relocate from Lake Michigan onto land, a change supported by Mayor Rudy Clay, state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary.
Indiana's gaming landscape has changed significantly since the study committee's last meeting in October.
Two weeks ago, the parent company of the Majestic Star casinos in Gary declared bankruptcy. The casinos remain open while the company reorganizes.
Earlier in November, Ohio voters authorized establishing four new casinos in the Buckeye State, including one in Cincinnati, just up the Ohio River from several Hoosier riverboat casinos.
The study committee has been considering changes in Indiana law that would keep the state's casino industry viable in the face of new competition.
Casino taxes are the third-largest source of state revenue, and admission and wagering taxes paid to state government and local development payments from casinos top $1 billion a year.
In addition to a possible land-based casino in Gary, the committee may also recommend eliminating maritime engines and crews from riverboats that no longer sail and changing tax rates for casinos at horse tracks.