The Indiana Gaming Commission confirmed Friday that is postponing approval of a new Indiana casino while it investigates allegations that top executives at former Indianapolis racino business Centaur Gaming were involved in directing illegal campaign contributions to an Indiana congressional candidate in 2015.
The new company, called Spectacle Entertainment, announced Wednesday morning that it has agreed to acquire the company that owns casinos along Lake Michigan in Gary, and has plans to relocate both gaming licenses.
The Las Vegas-based casino company will soon own Indiana Grand in Shelbyville and Hoosier Park in Anderson, the state’s only two casinos with horse-racing tracks.
If the Indiana Gaming Commission doesn’t agree with Caesars, a proposed $90 million project in Indiana by the Las Vegas-based company could be dropped.
A bill moving through the Senate and another introduced in the House are designed to encourage fantasy wagering in Indiana.
The Indiana Horse Racing Commission is poised to make sweeping changes in the wake of the dismissal of its long-time executive director.
Indiana legislators were lukewarm to assistance for casinos in 2013, but two years of declining revenue and new leadership on the issue could change their minds.
Purdue University plans to build a $10 million veterinary hospital for horses in Shelbyville, made possible in part by a $2.7 million grant from Indiana racino owner and operator Centaur Gaming.
