In Indiana, proposed laws that could enable local casino operator Spectacle Entertainment to relocate among its riverboat gaming licenses to a local land-based website has reportedly cleared another significant hurdle.
Unanimous approval:
Based on a Wednesday report from the Tribune-Star newspaper, Senate Bill 552 was passed from the 50-member Indiana State Senate late a month before yesterday being unanimously approved by the Indiana House of Representative’s Public Policy Committee.
Grand plans:
Spectacle Entertainment is in charge of the floating Majestic Star Casino Hotel and Majestic Star Casino Hotel II at Gary’s Buffington Harbor and has been lobbying for the right to transfer both of those Lake Michigan facilities to inland sites. The operator would like to transfer one of those casino licenses to a brand new $300 million land-based place to be constructed near the local intersection of Interstates 90 and 65 while changing the second some 170 miles south to an undetermined region of Vigo County in the neighborhood of the city of Terre Haute.
Alterations added:
Howeverthe Tribune-Star reported that the most recent acceptance of Senate Bill 552 didn’t come without some alterations to the planned legislation’s language. The Public Policy Committee added a condition that would require Spectacle Entertainment to pay a $100 million fee so as to transfer among its casinos onshore as a second would observe any such move obligate the operator to concede its staying Gary license to the Indiana Gaming Commission.
The newspaper reported that, as currently composed, Senate Bill 552 would entail the Midwestern state subsequently launching a competitive bidding procedure for Spectacle Entertainment’s second Gary license and be in charge of selecting an operator to run the imagined Vigo County casino.
Referendum necessity:
Like this wasn’t sufficient, the Tribune-Star reported that the laws also now includes a provision that could require Vigo County voters to approve any such new area casino via a referendum while the other clause has language language that might have observed Indiana legalize a range of mobile sportsbetting services.
Future sequence:
The newspaper reported that Senate Bill 552 is currently destined to be inspected by the Indiana House of Representative’s Ways and Means Committee where it might have its terminology altered even further.
Indiana State Senate Moves expanded gaming legislation
