Two Indiana Horse Track Casinos Expand Into Live Dealer Games
The expansion of real money casino gambling continues across the US. New legislation in a number of states has already taken effect. Many of the changes add online casino gambling to the mix. Other expansions cover mini-casino applications in smaller land-based venues.
When it comes to Indiana, the long awaited arrival of live-dealer table games topped the list for 2020. In an Associated Press article, it says the first of the year marked the change. Two horse track casinos in the state rolled out table games with live dealers on New Year’s Day.
The Two Indiana Horse Track Casinos Expand Into Live Dealer Games Are:
- Harrah’s Hoosier Park in Anderson
- Indiana Grand Racing and Casino in Shelbyville
The long push for this change has is tied to increase foot traffic at the two locations. Both started with electronic games in 2008. Keeping current with the times, live-dealer table games have been viewed as a necessity.
Indiana Grand is going about things in a grand way with 40 table games. They will cover all the favorites such as Blackjack, Roulette and Craps. Harrah’s Hoosier Park will be offering 30 tables for those same three games. Grand openings for the table section were planned for New Year’s Day. Harrah’s Hoosier Park tapped Indiana Pacer star Victor Oladipo as part of the celebration.
The state’s 11 other regulated land-based casinos already offer table games. The two new editions will now level the playing field across the state.
There is still a tribal casino in South Bend that is limited to electronic games. Initially, table games at the racetracks were tabled until July of 2021. Then-Gov. Mike Pence objected to the change. The provision was included in a 2015 gambling expansion bill that was approved by state lawmakers.
The current governor is Eric Holcomb. He approved a new gambling bill last May that paved the way for the change. That legislation also paved the way for legal sports betting. New land-based casinos were also approved for Gary and Terre Haute.
Dan Nita is the regional president for Caesars Entertainment. The Las Vegas gaming giant owns both horse racing tracks. Mr. Nita was confident that the initial table setup in both locations would be expanded.
His comments on the matter were:
“I think we will quickly be able to demonstrate that the central Indiana Horse Track Casinos That Are Expanding Into Live Dealer Games market can support two to three times as many table games as we’re currently set up with.”
Indiana’s Legislative Services Agency is a nonpartisan group. It estimates that table games at these two locations will generate an added $12 million a year in tax revenue. This takes into account the projected declines in state tax revenue at existing casinos. Overall, that would represent a three percent boost from last year’s total. In 2019, the state pulled in $443 million in casino taxes.
There was no word as to whether or not the tribal casino in South Bend will be adding table games. They could be at a competitive advantage in light of this recent expansion.