In the state of Indiana, the major gaming authority there the Indiana Gaming Commission decided to postpone Terre Haute casino licensing hearing. In other words, the plan to bring a casino resort worth $125 million to the city of Terre Haute had hit a snag. The gaming authority decided to take this measure so that its officials can properly investigate whether main executives for the planned facility’s operator have any kind of ties with illegal campaign contributions.

According to one report released by the WTWO-TV local broadcaster, local company Spectacle Entertainment was the only firm to have filed an official application for the mandatory license to operate the planned Terre Haute casino facility. The company had been also hoping that the Indiana Gaming Commission would approve its envisioned plans for the Rocksino via a hearing which was scheduled for the 7^th of February.

Indiana Gaming Commission Rescheduling the Meeting

Nonetheless, the state’s main gaming regulatory body revealed several days ago that it will reschedule the planned meeting so that its officials can investigate property whether there are any connections between the Spectacle Entertainment company and an illegal scheme which was said to have helped to funnel over $15,000 illegally to the 2016 campaign by the state’s former Senate Senator Mr. Waltz who hoped to win his seat in the US House of Representatives.

The Indiana Gaming Commission has released one official statement regarding this matter. In this statement, the authority detailed that the planned meeting scheduled for the 7^th of February has been postponed. It was also revealed that the Indiana Gaming Commission received information on the 23^rd of January concerning the applicant mentioned above which requires careful investigation conducted by the regulatory body’s officials according to their responsibilities.

Spectacle Entertainment and Its CEO

As reported by the same local broadcast service WTWO-TV, Spectacle Entertainment’s Chief Executive Officer Rod Radcliff is known to have been involved in the 2016 campaign which saw Eric Holcomb being elected as the fifty-first Governor of Indiana. It was also reported that the executive was also joined in these lobbying efforts by the company’s Vice-president Mr. Keeler even though a subsequent investigation has concluded that neither men had done anything wrong.

The local broadcaster also revealed that the most recent allegations of impropriety originate from one federal case in the state of Virginia which concerns Strategic Campaign Group’s Vice-President Charles O’Neil who pled guilty to his charges that he had helped one Indianapolis-based gaming enterprise to illegally contribute a certain amount of funds to former Indiana State Senator Mr. Waltz.

The same report also reveals that Keeler and Radcliff had been major executives at the Centaur Gaming company before they re-branded the company to Spectacle Entertainment in 2018 shortly after the company sold its Hoosier Park Racing and Casino and Indiana Grand Racing and Casino facilities to Caesars Entertainment Corporation.

The Indianapolis-headquartered gaming operator then purchased Majestic Star Casino Hotel as well as Majestic Star Casino Hotel II after successfully lobbying several state legislators for changes made in the law which would allow the company to move its gaming operations onshore via a completely new facility which would be branded as the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. These shaky business deals resulted in Terre Haute being granted mandatory permission to become home to a slots-friendly casino venue which Spectacle Gaming anticipated to be its Rocksino venue.

The very first land-based sportsbooks opened their doors on the 1^st of September in the state of Indiana. One month later on the 3^rd of October, the very first online bookies opened their virtual doors. The industry within the state’s borders is fully regulated by the Indiana Gaming Commission. Just like in other states, sportsbook providers and operators who want to offer their service to the state’s residents need to partner with some brick and mortar entities.

Despite the fact that almost every major sportsbook operator has a way of entering this market, just several of them have managed to do so and these are all fully reliable, and reputable vendors. The very first to hit the industry was BetRivers and DraftKings which opened their online sportsbooks to the residents of Indiana on the 3^rd of October.

Their moves were soon followed by FanDuel which opened its sportsbook in the state on the 26^th of October. As of today, several big brands are working on establishing their venues including Caesars, William Hill, BetMGM, and PointsBet. All things considered, the state’s residents can expect many both online and offline sports betting activities offered by the best brands.

Sports Betting in Indiana

When it comes to sports betting activities in the state, the industry launched just before the beginning of the new NFL season which was early September. This September date was for retail in-person sportsbooks, off-track betting shops, racinos and casinos at Indiana-based venues. When it comes to the state’s gambling laws and regulations, they are all conducted by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

According to the commission’s laws and regulations, statewide mobile betting is allowed, everyone who is over the age of twenty-one can register from any place in the state, the tax rates for such activities include 9.5% of generated gaming revenue, wagering on amateur athletes and eSports is not allowed and they are some limitation on live betting.

All in all, the sports betting opportunity for the state is rather massive as the state of Indiana is home to over six million residents. Many experts and professionals agree that the state’s potential market could create a big, vibrant industry. When it comes to the handle, it could go up to $6 billion yearly depending on how the industry evolves and depending on what the state’s neighbors do in terms of legalizing sports betting.

Land-Based and Online Sportsbooks Had a Successful October

One of the latest researches done on the subject has shown that both land-based and online sportsbooks active in the state had an extremely successful October due to a massive increase of 161% in the aggregated handle which amounts to around $91.7 million. The industry has also seen a great 34% rise in gross gaming revenues which amounts to around $11.5 million.

According to the Indiana Gaming Commission, this massive improvement was mainly fueled by the newly-launched bookies including DraftKings and FanDuel. The commission’s official press release also details that the industry had a great October also thanks to out-of-state wagers who were traveling from the Cincinnati and Chicago areas.

All things considered, Indiana is rapidly becoming a major star among fully legalized sports betting markets in the states. In fact, it seems that the state is far ahead of the neighboring states including Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois considering the industry’s success from the previous month. If things continue in this manner, Indiana will become the Midwest gambling capital in the near future.