The state of Indiana is no longer attempting to legalize online casinos, with the attempt being paused for the time being.
House Speaker Todd Hutson confirmed the decision after a bill failed to advance after it was looked over by the financial review committee. House Bill 1432 had previously passed through the House Public Policy Committee but was not granted a hearing with the Ways and Means Committee to discuss its financial effects on the state.
Huston stated that the “complicated” bill involved various industry interests and the state was struggling to find a compromise that worked with the state and all of its involved parties. For example, one casino operator based in Indiana was not in agreement with the proposal, concerned with the impact online gambling would have on brick-and-mortar casinos. This was a concern with a similar bill being passed in Illinois, which outlined a structure that would support both physical and digital casinos simultaneously.
Will Indiana ever legalize online casinos?
House Bill 1432 was meant to expand Indiana’s gaming industry to include
online gambling platforms
operated by licensed casinos. This would allow residents to play slots, card games, and have other casino experiences right on their mobile phone or home computer. The bill also mentioned adding online lotteries for online betting, creating further revenue opportunities for the state of Indiana.
Those that supported the new bill felt that Indiana residents were already gambling online anyway, and this new bill would ensure that it’s better regulated and safer. It would also generate state revenue once the online casino experience was taxed properly in Indiana. Representative Ethan Manning estimated that the state could earn $300 million per year from online casinos alone.
But some criticisms of the bill included how online gambling could negatively impact physical casinos and lottery ticket sellers. In-person businesses could suffer if gamblers chose to access online casinos from home instead of visiting physical locations.
House Bill 1432 has been set aside for now, but it’s expected to come up again as Indiana lawmakers continue to discuss gambling laws and revenues. The bill may need to be rewritten to better protect brick-and-mortar casinos from any market disruption that might follow better enabling online casinos to operate in the state.
There are currently a handful of states that allow digital lotteries. These include the states of New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Others are likely soon to follow.