\n
Ratcliff told the crowd in Gary on Jan. 9 that the expanded gaming law was the biggest gaming bill state lawmakers had passed since the 1993 legislation that opened the door to riverboat gaming.\u00a0So, if there\u2019s going to be any discussion about the future of gaming in Indiana, it should start with someone who\u2019s been there from the beginning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In the near-term, Ratcliff told Casino.org<\/em> he expects the gaming operators and the state to catch their breath and let the recently moved parts settle.<\/p>\n\u201cI can\u2019t guarantee that, but what I see, it looks like to me we\u2019re a state that usually looks at doing something major maybe every 10-15 years,\u201d he said. \u201cSomething major, it seems to me, was last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next Up: Tribal Compact<\/h2>\n
Still, there are some things the state needs to address with gaming in the short term. Most prominent is the tribal compact negotiations with Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, who operate the Four Winds tribal casino in South Bend.<\/p>\n
Without a gaming compact, the tribe can only operate Four Winds as a Class II casino, as opposed to the Class III casinos the state licenses. The biggest differences between the two is that the South Bend casino cannot offer table games or sports betting, and Four Winds has publicly expressed interest in having a sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Sara Gonso Tait, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, is representing Gov. Eric Holcomb\u2019s administration in the talks with the Potawatomi tribe. In a statement to Casino.org<\/em>, she said compact talks are ongoing.<\/p>\nAny agreement reached would need to be approved by the Indiana General Assembly. Their session is scheduled to end this year no later than March 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe obligation to negotiate in good faith is mandated by federal law. As such, the negotiation process could be undermined if we were to regularly provide public updates,\u201d Tait said. \u201cIf a compact is reached, it will undergo a public legislative process pursuant to state law, and if the parties are able to reach that point, we will be in a position to address the compact at that time.<\/p>\n
The State and Pokagon Band have had productive compact negotiations to date,\u201d Tait added. \u201cHowever, negotiations are not complete, and a tribal-state compact has not been executed. As such and given the short legislative session, it is not anticipated the General Assembly will be asked to consider ratification this session.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ratcliff said Spectacle supports the move to get Four Winds a gaming compact. Four Winds is about an hour away from the currently operational Majestic Star riverboats Spectacle operates in Gary and the Hard Rock, which will replace the boats. In addition, there are three other state-licensed casinos near Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n
Attempts to reach tribal officials for comment were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
On Deck: iGaming<\/h2>\n
Indiana state Sen. Jon Ford, who helped author the 2019 expanded gaming bill, told Casino.org<\/em> he doesn\u2019t expect to see a tribal compact hit the General Assembly in Indianapolis until next year. But he agreed that is the next gaming issue the state needs to address.<\/p>\nAfter that? It\u2019s iGaming, he said. Last month, Michigan passed an extensive gaming bill that will bring online casino gaming to the state, and to the south of Indiana, Kentucky is discussing a sports betting bill that would also allow online poker.<\/p>\n
In Indiana, Ford (R-Terre Haute) said there needs to be a discussion, sooner rather than later, and that includes whether that type of gaming would be iLottery or casino-style.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a discussion that will likely happen in the next three to five years, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at states like New Jersey, they’ve had it for four or five years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been hugely successful. Hasn’t hurt brick and mortar casinos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ratcliff, too, sees iGaming coming down the pike. But he sees it, as as he noted previously, part of another major movement 10-to-15 years from now.<\/p>\n
However, Ratcliff openly admits, he\u2019s been off before.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the one who said there\u2019s no way sports betting<\/a> would ever happen in the state of Indiana because of the NCAA being in Indy, and three years later, it was here,\u201d Ratcliff said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rod Ratcliff has been involved in Indiana gaming for about 30 years. At the groundbreaking for his newest project, Hard Rock Northern Indiana in Gary, the chairman and CEO of Spectacle Entertainment talked about his involvement and his relationships with state lawmakers who tried to get land-based casinos in the northwest Indiana town back in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":125123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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