By Jon Seidel, Post-Tribune
jseidel@post-trib.com
INDIANAPOLIS - The owner of a riverboat casino would need to pay a $50 million fee to move to a land-based location if a bill authored by state Sen. Earline Rogers of Gary wins passage.
Rogers, a Democrat, wants the state gaming commission to review plans for the construction of inland casinos, which could only be built in certain parts of the state including cities in Northwest Indiana that already have riverboat casinos. Her bill would also reduce the admission tax at the French Lick casino from $4 to $3.
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, after its first reading Monday.
A state committee on gaming decided last month a land-based casino in Gary near Interstate 65 and the Borman Expressway would be in the state's best interest, predicting it could create as much as $11 million in new revenue for Indiana.
Rogers said at the time she believes that estimate is low. She and Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, led a failed effort in 2009 to allow a land-based casino in Gary. The city's two casino licenses are owned by Don Barden's Majestic Star Casinos, which filed for bankruptcy last year.
Mayor Rudy Clay has said the land-based casino is one of his top priorities because of the new jobs and economic development it could create.
Many Northwest Indiana casino owners have already made significant investments in their riverboat locations. Rogers said she thought the owners of those casinos would be more amenable to an inland casino bill that includes a relocation fee.