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Three counties in Northeast Indiana soundly voted down ballot referendums that would have allowed ‘inland casino gambling.’ Nearly 60% of voters in Allen County voted against the initiative, with DeKalb tallying 65% ‘no’ votes and Steuben notching around 60% of votes to shoot it down.
The referendum was a byproduct of House Bill 1038’s passage in March, which would have permitted Full House Resorts to move its gaming license from Rising Sun to northeast Indiana.
While the original aim of the referendum would have given Full House exclusive development rights in Allen, DeKalb, or Steuben County, a $150 million licensing fee and minimum investment of $500 million made the deal less attractive to Full House Resorts.
The bill was then amended to permit any casino in the United States to enter into the bidding process, but no major casino groups expressed interest.
The ballot measure also faced coordinated opposition, with “Save Fort Wayne” ads hitting the airwaves in all three counties, citing an increase in addiction, divorce, and poverty should a brick-and-mortar casino be built in the area.
With the measures’ failure, Indiana’s casino landscape will remain the same, with 13 licensed Indiana online casinos. Those casinos generated $1.84 billion in gaming revenue through September, and licensed sportsbooks saw a windfall of $402.6 million in revenue.
