By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | An Indianapolis lobbyist paid for by the city of Hammond has been pressuring state lawmakers to reject Gary's bid for a land-based casino.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. confirmed to The Times on Friday that the city has retained Andrew Miller, second vice president of Bose Public Affairs Group, to represent its interests before the General Assembly. Hammond paid $60,000 to the lobbying firm this year, McDermott said.
The mayor would not specifically confirm Miller is advocating against a Gary inland casino, but protecting Hammond's casino revenue is one of Miller's most important duties, McDermott said.
"Andy Miller, for the most part, goes around the Statehouse and plays defense and tries to keep as much casino revenue in Hammond as possible because people are looking to take casino revenue," McDermott said.
A land-based casino in Gary would "for sure" take revenue away from Hammond, McDermott said.
"There's no doubt about it. It would be direct competition to Horseshoe Casino," he said.
McDermott said the $60,000 in city funds spent on the lobbyist is well worth it, if Miller can protect the $35 million in city revenue that comes from the Hammond Horseshoe Casino, the city's top employer and taxpayer.
Gary officials are trying to win legislative permission to construct a land-based casino in the Steel City. The current plan calls for closing the two Majestic Star casino boats on Lake Michigan and reopening inland at a location adjacent to the Borman Expressway near Interstate 65.
While a legislative study committee recommended allowing a land-based casino in Gary, a state Senate committee on Tuesday stripped authorization for the move from pending gaming legislation. The Senate could vote next week on Senate Bill 405, which no longer includes the land-based option.
State Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, said she has spoken to Miller, who told her he was hired to "do everything he could to defeat the land-based casino bill," she said.
Miller did not return a telephone message left for him Friday seeking comment.
Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said Hammond's position smacks of greed.
"How much money do they want? It seems to me they should be satisfied," Clay said.
In 2009, the Horseshoe had revenue of $525 million, more than any other casino in Indiana. By comparison, the two Majestic Star boats had combined revenue of $218 million.
Clay said Hammond should be working with other casino cities so everyone could succeed.
"It's very profound to say to the Legislature, 'We got ours, and we don't want anyone else to get any.' That's not a neighborly cooperative position," Clay said. "If the shoe was on the other foot, I would be saying, 'Let's help Horseshoe.'"
McDermott said he understands why Gary wants a land-based casino. But said that "any time you're talking about changing the rules midstream people are going to be concerned."
One reason the land-based casino option was stripped from the gaming legislation is because the Casino Association of Indiana, made of up 12 Hoosier casinos, told the Senate Appropriations Committee they would prefer the current system to the new competition that would come if some casinos moved to land.