The Indiana Horse Racing Commission gave approval Wednesday to Caesars Entertainment Corp.’s plan to acquire Hoosier Park in Anderson and Indiana Grand in Shelbyville. The deal still needs approval from the Indiana Gaming Commission.
The owner of two horse track casinos near Indianapolis is preparing to pay a $50 million state fee as part of its sale to casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corp.
The governing body for college sports on Thursday announced a "temporary" lifting of a ban that prevents events like college basketball’s NCAA tournament from being hosted in states that accept wagers on single games.
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting, the race is on to see who will referee the multibillion-dollar business of gambling on pro and college games.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can legalize sports betting. Indiana lawmakers will likely study the issue before their 2019 session.
The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a federal law that bars gambling on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states, giving states the go-ahead to legalize betting on sports. The Indianapolis-based NCAA was fighting New Jersey in the case.
Caesars sought approval for the plan despite threats to cancel the project if the state did not waive a $50 million fee tied to its acquisition of racinos in Anderson and Shelbyville.
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb on Friday named Indianapolis attorney Michael McMains to the position.
The American Gaming Association, which favors full legalization and regulation of sports betting, found 54 million people — or about a quarter of the U.S. adult population — participated in a sports betting pool last year.
If the Indiana Gaming Commission doesn’t agree with Caesars, a proposed $90 million project in Indiana by the Las Vegas-based company could be dropped.
Centaur, which owns and operates Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson and Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville, said its 2,000 or so employees would receive the checks next week.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is set to open the Four Winds Casino South Bend to the public on Tuesday, joining three other casinos the tribe already operates nearby in southwestern Michigan.
If the deals are approved, Penn National will take over Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, and Boyd Gaming will take over Belterra Casino in Switzerland County.
If the Supreme Court strikes down the law, giving sports betting the go-ahead, 32 states would likely offer it within five years, according to one report.
If Caesars Entertainment is successful in buying Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand, it would have an interest in four of the state’s five largest casinos. The acquisition reportedly is in the works.
Ed Feigenbaum, long-time publisher of Indiana Legislative Insight, Indiana Gaming Insight and Indiana Education Insight, says he has no plans to leave the operation he founded despite its sale.
A former assistant manager has been sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from depositors. She said she stole the money after she became addicted to playing slot machines.
The law requires players to be at least 18 years old, prohibits contests based on college or high school sports, and sets an initial licensing fee of $50,000.
The new ticket would top a current $30 instant game as Indiana's most expensive.
Two governors tried to fire Northstar Lottery Group. But Northstar—a subsidiary of Gtech Corp., the parent company of Gtech Indiana, which manages the Hoosier Lottery—remains on the job more than two years later.
