Mr. Ratcliff is no longer authorized to perform any duties associated with his prior roles and is not permitted to exert any control or management regarding Majestic Star Casino,\u201d Tait said. \u201cMr. Ratcliff maintains a license as a substantial owner.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Meanwhile, the investigation into Spectacle goes on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe standard for suitability to hold a gaming license in Indiana is high,\u201d <\/strong>Tait added.\u00a0\u201cWhen circumstances warrant, the IGC is obligated to exercise its authority in conducting its investigations, both regulatory and criminal, for matters under the agency’s purview.\u00a0 All steps the IGC has taken, to date, are in an effort to protect the integrity of gaming while the investigation continues.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nRatcliff’s Indiana Gaming Legacy<\/h2>\n Even with the unceremonious departure, Ratcliff’s contributions to Indiana gaming are noteworthy. He put together the team that won the license for the Argosy Casino (now Hollywood) in Lawrenceburg in the southeastern corner of the state, as casino gaming started in Indiana in 1996.<\/p>\n
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He also helped establish the first pari-mutuel racetrack in the state when his company partnered with Churchill Downs to open Hoosier Park in 1994. Churchill would then sell Hoosier Park to Ratcliff\u2019s Centaur Gaming in 2007, and Ratcliff was instrumental in getting slots approved for Indiana\u2019s tracks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Centaur would eventually buy the state\u2019s other track, Indiana Grand, in 2013. The company then sold the tracks to Caesars Entertainment two years ago. Ratcliff then founded Spectacle to purchase the Majestic Star, which operates on two boats, each with its own separate license.<\/p>\n
Indiana\u2019s expanded gaming law, approved by the legislature last year, allowed for Spectacle to move the Majestic Star inland and surrender the other license, which was then designated for a casino in Terre Haute. Last year, Spectacle was the only company to apply for the Terre Haute license to the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC).<\/p>\n
The IGC investigation, though, wasn’t the only controversy facing Ratcliff or Spectacle. Before the company announced its intention to buy the Majestic Star, the company flew Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to two Republican Governors Association meetings at no charge. The flights served as in-kind contributions to the RGA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Longtime Indiana gaming industry executive Rod Ratcliff is no longer the chairman and CEO of Spectacle Entertainment and Spectacle Gary, as the Indianapolis-based company announced the promotion of Jahnae Erpenbach to serve in both positions. Spectacle\u2019s announcement of Erpenbach earlier this week did not even mention Ratcliff\u2019s name, a somewhat surprising move given Ratcliff\u2019s contributions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":150137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33810,60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Ratcliff Quietly Stepped Away from Spectacle Amid IGC Investigation<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n