From the Indianapolis Star:
With a new Horseshoe Casino set to open March 4 in Cincinnati and the possibility of more casinos opening in surrounding states, Indiana needs to reassess its gambling policies, putting all options on the table, according to state Rep. Ed Clere.
Clere said Hoosier state lawmakers must find ways to shore up casino revenues — money the state has become “very dependent” upon — by reexamining the number of gambling licenses it allows, locations and the state tax structure.
“The Indiana legislature has made gaming policy in an incremental, ad-hoc, usually reactive fashion for two decades now, and I think it’s time to take a holistic look at all our gambling statutes,” said Clere, a Republican from New Albany.
And Clere, who’s entering his third term in the Statehouse, isn’t the only Indiana legislator who feels the state must stop tax revenue from exiting following a period of Indiana being flush with casino cash.
State Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, told The Associated Press in November that the legislature needs to take action to reverse the drop in gambling revenues and make existing Indiana casinos more competitive.
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Casinos have generated more than $10 billion in wagering and admission tax revenue around the state since the first riverboat, Evansville’s Casino Aztar, opened in 1995.
But Indiana casinos saw 6 percent fewer people come through the turnstiles last fiscal year than two years ago, and overall tax revenue dropped by 5 percent, or $43.6 million, during that time.
Ten of the state’s 13 casinos are located near a state border.
Clere, R-New Albany, calls it a “difficult conversation” with many stakeholders, but he said he has been working on possible gambling legislation and may introduce a bill once the General Assembly reconvenes Jan. 7.
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See the full article here:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013130101013
