Indiana Legislature Stops Plans to Relocate Casino to New Haven

A push to relocate an Indiana casino from along the Ohio River to New Haven is dead.

Senate Bill 293 intended to move The Rising Star casino license out of Rising Sun to the Fort Wayne suburb. Senator and chair of the Public Policy Committee Ron Alting decided after two hours of public testimonies at the Indiana Statehouse not to pass the bill forward.

The bill was supported by Las Vegas-based operator Full House, which lost its affinity for the waning Rising Sun gaming market.

Staying put

The Rising Star Casino posted gross gaming revenue of $43.8 million in FY 2024, a 53 percent decrease from its 2012 total. 

Rising Star, which opened in 1996, began to suffer once Cincinnati casinos popped up in 2013. Its year-end revenue of less than $4 million per month made it one of the worst-performing casinos in the state.

The fiscal fallout led to Full House lobbying Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) to pen legislation (SB 293) that would allow the company’s license to be transferred to New Haven.

The license would’ve only been greenlighted for a move had the Indiana Gaming Commission signed its approval and Full House presented the proper plans to develop a vacant site in Ohio County.

Industry experts estimated the relocation could have created $80 million in annual tax funding and more than 2,400 permanent jobs. 

Despite the positive projections and comments from a dozen supporters, Alting sided with about 20 critics of the deal who spoke at the Statehouse.

Could the casino move in the future?

SB 293 is not dead just because it did not advance out of the committee. Instead, it may be referred to another committee, which would give it another chance to advance to the floor for a full reading.

The Indiana legislature is also actively debating several gaming bills, including one to legalize online casinos and iGaming. Debates and compromises between legislators often lead to a restructuring of bills.

“I respect the legislative process and if the statehouse decides not to hear the bill or add the language to another bill, I am at peace with the process and have no regrets,” New Haven Mayor Steve McMichael said following reports of Alting’s decision not to progress the bill. 

“I will not actively seek another home for the license relocation language but given the overwhelming support relayed to me by the citizens of New Haven, if another legislator wanted to insert language from SB 293 I’d consider supporting it,” the mayor added.

Full House already said it would invest $500 million into the creation of a casino near I-469 and the US 30 interchange at Foyle Road. 

Plans for the facility included a 200-room hotel, a spa and salon, an event venue, restaurants and bars, concert space, and a 90,000-square-foot gaming floor with 1,400 slot machines, 50 tables, and a sportsbook.