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Online casino legalization efforts in Indiana are effectively dead for the year, following comments from from Rep. Todd Huston, the Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives. Huston explained that discussions of Rep. Ethan Manning’s bill to regulate iGaming represents an impasse at this time.
Huston did not address any lingering effects of a former Indiana legislator’s conviction on corruption charges related to gambling or specific reasons for the difficulty in reaching a consensus. While that could leave the door open for Manning and others in 2026 and beyond, it also creates a vague picture of what iGaming proponents need to accomplish to change the situation.
Huston discusses gaming expansion bill
Niki Kelly of the Indiana Capital Chronicle spoke with Huston about Manning’s bill, HB 1432. Manning’s proposal would not only have created a regulated system for online casino games in Indiana similar to the framework for online sports wagering, but also established a new fund for responsible gambling research and treatment using fines on licensees.
Furthermore, it would have also authorized the Indiana Lottery to sell tickets online and raised the tax rate for sports betting revenue. HB 1432 cleared the House Committee on Public Policy with amendments but that seems to be as far as it will go in 2025 according to Huston.
“There’s all sorts of moving parts about how it impacts certain communities, what it does to the overall gaming environment in Indiana,” Huston commented. “I think all those things just make it complex to work through.”
Kelly also reported that Huston called HB 1432 “a complex bill with a ‘lot of different moving parts.’” Huston added that, “just trying to find something there was some consensus on, felt like it was a pretty tough spot to be.”
The events of 2023 could still be lingering in 2025 when it comes to gambling expansion in Indiana. The passage of time alone may not be sufficient to diminish those impacts.
Corruption, fiscal note have plagued gambling expansion
In early 2023, Manning and former Indiana Sen. Jon Ford filed companion bills in their respective chambers to legalize iGaming. That effort met an abrupt end, however, when a highly-criticized fiscal note asserted that the proposal would significantly diminish Indiana’s gambling taxes and harm the businesses of brick-and-mortar casinos in the state.
Then in late 2023, former Indiana Rep. Sean Eberhart pleaded guilty to corruption charges related to Indiana’s last round of gambling expansion in 2019. That soured the taste of many in Indianapolis when it came to discussions of further expansion.
For that reason, Manning took no action on the issue in 2024. While these issues may pervade into 2025 and beyond, there is reason to believe that progress is possible in the future.
Casino association support carries significant weight
During the Public Policy Committee’s hearing on HB 1432, the bill got favorable testimony from a representative of the Indiana Casino Association. The Indiana Casino Association is a trade group for gaming licensees in the state.
That support signals future alignment if Manning introduces a similar bill in 2026. It’s pivotal because opposition from the same might be sufficient to stymie any progress on the matter.
Gaming licensees would be uniquely positioned to counter any narratives about the cannibalization of their own operations. It’s also possible that getting another year removed from Eberhart’s trial would soften opposition.
Huston’s comments also did not close the door to future consideration, merely stating that a sufficient consensus does not exist currently. If there is a fifth attempt to legalize iGaming in Indiana, it could make further progress toward the finish line.
