Two Competing Terre Haute Casino Proposals On The Table

Two potential plans for a casino in Terre Haute are on the table.

Lawmakers voted against a similar proposal in 2017.

Full House Resorts owns Rising Star Casino in Rising Sun, Indiana near Cincinnati. Officials there say they want to relocate unused gambling games from Rising Star to Terre Haute to maximize their use and generate more tax dollars for Indiana.

Lawmakers said the 2017 bill unfairly favored a single casino operator. New bill language would allow other casinos to compete for a location.

Full House Resorts recognizes it has competition for the Terre Haute spot.

A new company called Spectacle Entertainment announced it’s buying two Majestic Star casinos in Gary and wants to move one of them to another city, possibly Terre Haute.

Mayor Duke Bennett says a casino would generate more revenue for Terre Haute, provide high paying jobs, and add another amenity.

"People in Illinois have nowhere to go to gamble," Bennett says. "And so the idea is, we could bring those Illinois dollars in Indiana, serve this west central, this underserved market from the gaming perspective, and everybody benefits."

But some residents such as the group ‘Casino Free Vigo County’ have rallied against a casino saying they don’t deliver the economic promises city leaders say they do.

Full House Resorts officials say they look forward to compete with all casino operators "to present the best proposal for Terre Haute and for Indiana."