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A new Indiana gambling bill aims to take a page out of the Illinois playbook by legalizing Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs).
According to the bill, local bars and restaurants could install VGTs at their locations, allowing Hoosiers to play games like electronic poker and blackjack.
While Indiana online casino gaming remains in limbo, adding VGTs could be the next logical step.
New VGT bill details
The bill, HB 1548, plans to tax VGT revenue at 30%, which could generate millions of dollars of revenue annually.
For comparison, Illinois has roughly 45,000 VGTs, with a tax rate of 34%. As a result, Illinois generated $67 million in tax revenue during December 2022 alone.
Although the bill has already been filed in the House, it still has a long journey ahead.
Online casinos in Indiana are on the docket too
Speaking of other forms of gaming, lawmakers will try once more to legalize Indiana online casino games. A new bill, HB 1536, is floating through Indianapolis. If passed, it would legalize online casinos and online lottery tickets and improve responsible gaming measures.
All gambling bills in Indiana must pass through the state’s Public Policy Committee. Rep. Ethan Manning heads that committee and is also the author of the online casino bill.
Speaking with PlayUSA, Manning said:
“It certainly still is a challenge. We have some members who just don’t like gaming, period, and others who just need to learn about the issue. But as I’ve been having informal conversations with members of my caucus and on the Senate side as well, nobody has told me no yet. So they’ll probably tell me no later, but we will see how things go.”
The current gambling bills being discussed will have to climb one less roadblock, according to Manning. “We do have one roadblock that we had last year that we don’t have any more in that we have a new chairman of Public Policy in Indiana, and that is me. So that certainly does help the efforts as we head into a new legislative session.”
