Indiana Online Casino Sites Could Be Legalized In New Bill
Rep. Ethan Manning officially filed his online casino legislation in the Indiana House of Representatives after weeks of preamble and rumors.
His bill, House Bill 1536, would regulate online lottery games under the Hoosier Lottery in addition to allowing internet casinos and poker companies.
The measure allows the same organizations that are permitted to operate brick-and-mortar casinos and sportsbooks in the state to also hold online casino and poker licenses. The license would cost $500,000 up front, with a renewal charge of $50,000 every year. 20% is the suggested tax rate for Indiana online casinos.
In another provision, the annual limit for promotional credit for interactive gaming is set at $10 million.
The bill's provision for internet lotteries would permit online lottery sites to offer both the online purchase of tickets for draw games like Mega Millions and Powerball as well as scratch-off games.
The proposed legislation is strikingly similar to the one Indiana state senator Jon Ford proposed last year. Ford plans to continue working on the project, but this time the House will be the place where the legislation starts rather than the Senate.
For the state's efforts to legalize online casinos, this is the third legislative battle. Although expectations were high the previous year, the bill did not go past committee. Manning is in charge of the appropriate body this time around, the Public Policy Committee.
Even if he has the influence to push the bill into committee, many in the sector believe the Senate will be a harder fight if the House passes the law by the deadline of February 27th 2023.
Many people, including Martin Lycka of Entain, think that Indiana and New York are the two states most likely to approve online gambling this year.
