INDIANAPOLIS – A House vote on a gambling bill is still a couple of weeks away, but a giant fee added to the bill looks likely to stay.

When the Senate voted to let the Majestic Star Casino’s new owners move from Lake Michigan to downtown Gary, it didn’t charge a fee. But a House committee added a 100-million-dollar price tag. Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray says he hasn’t given any thought to what the appropriate amount is, but says the concept of a fee makes sense.

Bray and House Speaker Brian Bosma both say the move downtown will earn back the fee for the casino owners many times over. And Bosma says there are regulatory costs to the state from casinos.

Governor Holcomb says he’s monitoring the bill’s progress, but won’t get involved in the negotiations unless something objectionable pops up. So far, he says, neither the fee nor anything else crosses that line. Holcomb says he’ll let legislators hammer out a final product while he focuses on the bills on his own agenda.

Majestic Star has two licenses in Gary. The bill would let owners Spectacle Entertainment move one of them to Terre Haute, but the House version of the bill would put the license up for bid if they do.

The bill also legalizes sports betting at Indiana casinos.

 

Network Indiana