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As officials in northeast Indiana lobby hard for a casino in or around Allen County, central Indiana lawmakers are moving more cautiously in their efforts to bring gambling to downtown Indianapolis.
Despite an independent review that named Indianapolis as the most lucrative potential site in the state for a new casino, there haven’t been any bills filed yet this session to bring that about.
That’s compared with two bills, one of which passed out of committee Tuesday at the Indiana Statehouse, that deal with ways to bring a casino to the Fort Wayne area—a topic that lawmakers debated last session.
But Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, said a casino in downtown Indianapolis makes the most financial sense. He told the IBJ on Tuesday he will carry a bill to that effect this session.
“It’s clear that if the goal is revenue, you put a casino in downtown Indianapolis every day of the week and twice on Sunday,” Freeman said. “If the goal is something else, then somebody needs to tell me that, and then we’ll adjust our conduct accordingly.”
A casino in Indianapolis appears to have bipartisan support among central Indiana lawmakers, but such a measure faces an uphill climb as the legislators weigh an Indianapolis location versus one in Allen County. A casino in either location could drain revenue from racinos in Anderson and Shelbyville, affecting horse breeders who have allies on key legislative committees.
A path to Indy
When a measure to move the casino license for Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts Inc. from Rising Sun to New Haven failed in the 2025 session, legislators instead passed a study bill to get data on the best spots for future gaming licenses.
That study, conducted by Philadelphia-based Spectrum Gaming Group, shows that relocating an existing casino to Indianapolis would generate an estimated $170 million in gambling tax revenue each year and more than $490 million in estimated gross annual revenue.
Moving the license to Fort Wayne could yield $61 million in taxes per year, and $204 million in gross annual revenue. Indianapolis-area lawmakers say the numbers add up in the capital city’s favor.
“If you look at our convention business, you look at all the assets that we have downtown right now, I think it would be a great addition to all of the other things,” said Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis. “It’s just another tool in the toolbox for us here in Indianapolis to actually put Indiana on the map.”
Many House Democrats agree. Rep. Justin Moed, who represents most of downtown Indianapolis, said he has nothing against Allen County’s bid, but wants to have more discussion about an Indianapolis license.
“Why are we not at least exploring that option here?” said Moed, who is the ranking minority member on the House Committee on Public Policy. “As we’re talking about moving one to Fort Wayne or creating even a new license, if creating a new license is on the table, then why would we not talk about the potential to generate revenue in Indianapolis?”
Moed said he doesn’t plan to file a bill on the subject, but would like to see an amendment added to House Bill 1038 that opens the door for Indianapolis. Fellow Indianapolis Democrat Rep. Blake Johnson added bills that dictate a single location for a gambling license should be opened up to include more sites.
Moed and Taylor say they would like to see Full House Resorts move its license to Indianapolis, while Freeman, calling himself “a free market capitalist,” didn’t take a firm stance on moving the license versus creating a new one.
Freeman said an Indianapolis casino is something he’s thought about for a while and has had multiple conversations with city officials on the topic. He said the city has come around to supporting the idea.
A spokeswoman for Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett declined to comment for this story. In a statement provided to the IBJ last month, the Hogsett administration said it has “been in discussions on this subject since the end of the legislative session” in April.
‘The horses will be taken care of’
A key hurdle to Indianapolis’ bid is the potential harm a downtown casino could do to other casinos in central Indiana.
Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville and Harrah’s Hoosier Park & Racing Casino in Anderson, often called racinos for their focus on horse racing, would lose business if a new casino came to Indianapolis. If that happened, the Spectrum Gaming study estimates revenue to those casinos would drop nearly 25%.
Multiple lawmakers—including Rep. Beau Baird, R-Greencastle, and Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Syracuse—have connections to horse breeding and point to a Purdue University Extension study showing the horse racing industry contributes $2 billion annually to the state’s economy.
Any new or relocated gambling license should compensate breeders for a loss in revenue, industry lobbyists say. Sen. Ron Alting, who chairs the Senate Public Policy Committee agrees, making it clear in a committee hearing this week that any casino bill to come through his committee would need to compensate horse breeders.
“I give you my word that I will be working with the author of [Senate Bill 70], wherever this may end up, to make sure that the horses will be taken care of, or there will be no bill,” Alting said.
Freeman said he understands that process and thinks the extra tax revenue generated by an Indianapolis casino would be able to take care of any losses to racinos.
“With that revenue, you can help other industries and other interests at the same time. Look, we can do both. We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Freeman said.
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, has said he doesn’t think there’s a need for a casino in Indianapolis.
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