The bill, authored by Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, would allow casino operator Full House Resorts Inc. to move its gaming license from Rising Sun to Marion County–with a few conditions.
From utility rates to tenderloin sandwiches, here are some bills IBJ is following this legislative session.
The House Public Policy Committee endorsed a bill on Tuesday allowing online lottery sales, a move sought for years by state lottery officials as a way to boost revenue.
In 2025, Indiana could see its biggest gambling expansion since sports wagering was legalized in 2019.
The growing push for an Indianapolis casino is getting an assist from Visit Indy, with the executive committee opting to publicly back the effort.
Lawmakers are already considering two bills in the 2026 session that would bring a casino to Allen County, while central Indiana legislators are coalescing around a push for a casino in downtown Indianapolis.
No legislation seeking to put a casino in Indianapolis has been introduced this session so far, but Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, said he will carry a bill to that effect.
The table game dealers and dual rate workers at the casino cast their votes to join the Teamsters Local 135 after 50 days on the picket line.
There are a slew of topics legislators plan to tackle in 2026, including rising energy costs, tax codes, child care and education, and possibly a new casino in one of Indiana’s urban centers.
This week’s split underscores a widening rift over the fast-growing world of prediction markets, a form of real-money trading that blurs the line between gambling and financial speculation.
Nearly 200 workers at Horseshoe Indianapolis casino in Shelbyville are on strike as they seek a union vote delayed by the federal government shutdown.
According to the indictment unsealed Sunday, the highly-paid hurlers took several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two unnamed gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets.
The NCAA said last month that it had been investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling issues.
Sources tell IBJ that tax revenue from a new casino could help pay for potential upgrades to Lucas Oil Stadium as well as a soccer stadium on the east side of downtown.
The analysis shows that relocating an existing casino to the state capital would generate a huge amount of revenue, but would draw some away from other gambling facilities.
The delay comes less than a week after an NBA coach and player were arrested in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said leaked inside information about NBA athletes.
In a memo sent to all 30 teams, the NBA said it believed “there is more that can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues.”
The arrests of current and former high-profile NBA figures on Thursday for illegal sports betting and rigged poker games spurred fresh calls from lawmakers for federal regulation.
This doesn’t change the NCAA rule forbidding athletes from betting on college sports.
Bettors lose billions of dollars a year on parlays, the data shows, and operators bring in far more revenue for every dollar wagered on these bets than they do straight bets.
