Indiana’s Failure to Pass iGaming Bills One More Time

Indiana’s legislators have once again failed to pass iGaming bills. Unfortunately, these bills didn’t even make it in time for a vote. In 2021, Rep. Alan Morrison filed the Ione iGaming bill, which he filed again this year as HB 1337.

In the same breath, Reps. Doug Gutwein and Ethan Manning brought forward HB 1356. The bills were just two weeks old since they went in on the 11^th of January and the deadline was the 25^th of January. The short session is very much to blame for yet another failed attempt.

Indiana held much hope for the people of Indiana since it would join the list of six states with approved online gaming.

Major Issues with the Bills

The chair of the House Public Policy Committee, Rep. Ben Smaltz, made modifications to the sports betting bill by removing the online aspect. This modification happened when the sports betting bill passed through his committee in 2019.

Senator Jon Ford didn’t like the move and put back the online aspect on the Senate side. This move made it harder for legislators, especially Rep. Ben Smaltz, to approve the bill. According to Senator Jon Ford, the bill would pass the House committee.

On the flip side, the same bill wouldn’t see the light of day in the Senate. The Senate wouldn’t have called for a vote since there were zero interests in the Senate leadership. Clearly, the bill wasn’t on the list of priorities since there are creative ways the Senate could revive it.

Shattered hope for the iGaming Casino Industry

The numbers were just right regarding Indiana’s projected casino revenue. According to HB 1356, Indiana was to bring in $500 million in iGaming tax revenue. If the bills had become law, the Hoosier State would have the perfect opportunity to tax operators 18% to run their businesses there.

The 18% would account for an additional $100 million in tax revenue from iGaming. This prediction is only possible if the iGaming market matures fully by the Fiscal Year 2025. Although the bills attract more tax revenues for Indiana, the timing was terrible.

Senator Jon Ford’s Undying Hope

Senator Ford played a huge role in making the 2019 sports betting bill go through the House committee. Although Indiana is lagging behind in legalizing iGaming, Ford promises to educate his colleagues on the perks of online gaming for his state in particular. 

By 2023, reports indicate that Indiana will lose out on about $75 million in tax revenue. This loss is avoidable only if the state has a regulated online casino market by then. Senator Ford doesn’t see the failure to pass the bills as a huge loss. He states that more folks received education on iGaming.

Many people will come on board within no time, and passing the iGaming bills will be less difficult. This is an election year for Indiana. That coupled with a short session (non-budget) made it less likely to pass bills HB 1337 and HB 1356.