Indiana introduce bills to legalize online casino
A bill to move one of the state’s lowest-performing casinos to northeast Indiana has been formally introduced in the Indiana General Assembly.
Senate Bill 293—authored by Sen. Andy Zay, R-Huntington—would allow Full House Resorts to transfer its gaming license from Rising Sun to New Haven, where the Las Vegas-based company plans to build a $500 million casino and hotel.
The bill would also establish a commission that would oversee the use of any tax revenue generated from the casino.
Full House Resorts currently operates Rising Star Casino in Ohio County, and news of the company’s hopes to move its license to New Haven came in September. At that time, New Haven Community Development Director Zach Washler told Inside INdiana Business that the company and the city had been in talks for several months.
Rising Star took in about $3.6 million a month during the 2024 fiscal year, a number that is estimated to quadruple if the casino moved to New Haven.
Full House is looking to build the casino near the intersection of I-469 and State Road 30. The first phase of the project would see the construction of the main casino building with some dining options. A second phase would include the 200-room hotel and additional event space and amenities.
A study conducted by real estate services firm CBRE that was released in October found that Full House’s proposed casino would generate $266.6 million annually in revenue by the third year of operation. That’s in addition to a projected 2,400 jobs in the project’s first phase.
In a December interview with Inside INdiana Business, Zay said he believes the prospect of a casino represents a great opportunity and great investment for the region.
“We also want people to come see us and be a part of our growing community and quality of life investment up here,” Zay said. “We have it in great jobs and great diversity of jobs, as well as entertainment options, and I think this really does nothing more than that—create another entertainment option.”