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Freeman is going to waltz in and start with this “our city” nonsense after spending the last few years doing in the legislature what he failed to accomplish as a CCC member, including mandating how Indianapolis does infrastructure? The guy who wants Indianapolis to do everything for the benefit of those who don’t live in Indianapolis, to the detriment of those who do? He’s going to take the lead on this? Maybe he should sit this one out. Or, maybe we should do him a solid and push for the site of the proposed former Google data center in Franklin Township to become a casino.
Pottersville or Hill Valley under Biff Tannen?
The casino’s millions will not be seen by the average resident. City services, roads, infrastructure improvements, nothing…. Let’s funnel it to an already hugely profitable sports franchise. Sigh.
What citizens get is the opportunity to watch a football team on TV, or the opportunity to spend thousands of dollars on tickets to watch a medicore team in person. The increased tax revenue from the 10 game days a year downtown can’t be that huge compared to the convention business.
“We’re going to need revenue”.
We gave the Colts maybe the best stadium deal in America. They’re making a mint off that deal, as attested by the assets that Jim Irsay accumulated. It’s not even like the team has reciprocated by putting a quality product on the field to watch.
Hard NO on a casino in downtown Indianapolis.
+1
Exactly what I was going to say. There would be awful for the city and its people.
You do realize Indy has positioned itself to compete with other thriving cities to attract talent, business and conventions? Nashville for example is building like crazy and has made it no secret that their goal is to lure conventions away from Indy. Indy has a target on its back that we attract lost of sporting events and conventions and other cities want to disrupt that. Many cities across the nation are building new billion dollar stadiums to stay competitive and the article mentioned The Colts needing a reason to stay. Just because you may not think the Colts are important to the cities image, I’d advise you to go downtown during a home game and witness how many people show up to tailgate hours before kickoff. Professional sports is BIG business. Ask Louisville residents how bad they wish they could have a major league team and the economic growth it brings.
Nashville has its own vibe and Indy cannot compete with those who want to get plastered on Broadway. But that’s not everyone’s thing, and it’s not the thing for every convention.
We built another downtown hotel connected to the convention center because we had conventions make clear to us that we needed to do it in order to keep their business. If you can tell me our existing convention partners want a casino, or show me the conventions that are not coming to Indianapolis because we don’t have a casino, I may feel differently.
Until then? We’d be better off investing in another 5-6 good restaurants in the downtown convention center area.
Jon B. I never said nor did the article insinuate that the casino would draw convention attendees. It specifically stated that the casino revenue would be to help finance a sports district and economic development in the tourism industry in Indy. There’s people who like to drink, smoke cigars, go to strip clubs, eat at nice restaurants and casinos. Having a casino is just another added attraction for locals and visitors alike. Having a casino can’t hurt the city but definitely has a potential to generate revenue for any cause.
The entire article talks about raising money at the cost of creating false hope of those hoping to win at their addictions or false hope. Go out and read the damage being caused by mobile gaming platforms.
The consequence of our moralistic values continues to prove itself by the resulting behaviors of our younger society. We continue to fuel middle to no incomer’s weak dreams of becoming rich.
We take taxpayer money and hand it over nearly unconditionally to homeless and those falsely feeding on food banks and medical freebees. We feed off NOT for profit grants. I’m an advocate of helping the weak but only with a structured recovery. Gambling ain’t the fix. I’ve walked the path from nothingness to self-sufficiency and what some call success. I know what hardship is.
We even permit the evangelistic Pariah to feed off the weak by promising them money will secure them a front seat in a magic place. 4000 years of history proved that it’s mostly a platform of greed.
Our federal leadership says “In God We trust” while manipulating society.
I’ll be dead and am happy I won’t see the damage uncontrolled AI causes.
We might as well remove the age limits on alcohol and tobacco. And while we are at it, legalize fentanyl.
Our city leadership creates a false image by bragging a false image through the tranquility of greenway space. Who are you kidding. They don’t care.
WE DON’T NEED A CASINO!
I mean this in the best way but if you’re 60yrs old or older it’s selfish of you to think the city of over 800k agrees there’s no need for a casino. There’s plenty of younger people and tens of thousands of visitors who’d disagree with your opinion. What’s even worse is if you don’t even live in Marion county yet you feel the city doesn’t need or the actual residents would want a casino,
the race track/casino in anderson has done so much for that city why not try it in indy? (of course this is sarcasm)
Hard no on this one. someone please stop this.
It’s a terrible idea. It’ll be fun to watch it happen anyway and the inevitable fallout.
Indianapolis has been a goal for a casino since all the gambling laws were initiated, by both democrat and republican administrations. To get the laws passed, the entire state and most all 92 counties had to buy in to the deal assuming they’d all get a share of the new money. Local projects and economies were in a big boom of spending and development. It was great for all local and state government, the money flowed, and gambling expanded all the way to our cell phones. Now it’s time for the chips to fall and allow the previously feared Indianapolis casino. The money has been spread around the state, some casinos have failed and some moved locations, some have hatched corruption and several folks have gone to prison. Now that we’ve mostly learned how and why it works or not, it’s time to expand again, and Indy has been waiting for about 4 decades for its turn to host a casino. We even have a bipartisan team of Porter and Freeman in support. Let’s go for it now! The city’s share of the revenue should help with expanding law enforcement and other municipal improvements. It’s Indy’s time now!
As a last jab, marijuana legalization would also add another annual $60-$100 Million to the tax coffers.
+ 1 Indy has suffered from rural envy/hate for decades from the legislators and they have the smoothest roads in the state to prove it.
I say again. And add. Might as well remove smoking and alcohol limitations.
Open strip clubs. Legalize Marijuana, cocane and fentynel.
Then pardon all the criminals in prison to save millions per year. Just have them raise their right hand and verbally promise to be good girls and boys. My suggestions are just as ludicrous as the casino.
The bulk of the money is going to continue to go to the state. The only guaranteed casino revenue I can determine for Indianapolis/Marion County, as best I can tell, is a $2 per person admission tax. Everything else is revenue that goes to the state and they gets dispersed back per state formulas.
The best argument for Indianapolis to have a casino is that we’ve got any number of legislators who can now get some sweet, sweet campaign contributions from gaming companies looking to buy their vote.
There’s no better way to make downtown Indianapolis the hellhole that people claim it is … than to dump a casino in downtown Indianapolis.
lol, the NIMBYs are out in full force today… as major cities across the country are adding casinos they want Indy to stay stuck in the past.
And major cities like Detroit and St Louis are absolute dumps near their downtown casinos.
Its going to attract negative influences wherever you build them. Just hang out at Ohio and East for a day.
This is what youth learns.
it sounds like some feel Casinos build character. So be it.
I gave marion county my all since 1982. And then in 2022, our wonderfull Mayor bla bla bla.
Build it between a homeless shelter and a gamblers bankruptcy court .
Actual resident of downtown and I wouldn’t mind a casino at all!
Weed, casino, and prostitution. Need them all to be legal and free.
Detroit’s highest crime areas are near its casinos, records show
Detroit’s three casinos are among the four most crime-ridden spots in the city, records show, but the link between gambling and crime is debated.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2025/10/08/detroits-highest-crime-areas-near-mgm-motorcity-hollywood-greektown-casinos-records-show/86247159007/
Thanks for the info Joe B.
As we continue to see crime by youths, this should be a no brainer. Most thoughts herein see the problem.
Unfortunately those blind to the collateral damage only see money. I understand those that don’t speak or understand. It’s unfortunate.