Credit: AP Photo/Tom Hemmer
Well, that was fast. It’s just one month into 2022 and Indiana lawmakers have both introduced and subsequently killed online casino bills.
HB 1337 and HB 1356 were two weeks old when they died in an Indiana General Assembly committee. They were the greatest hope for another state entering the list of legal states with online casino gambling.
The pace of that rise and fall is reminiscent of the famed Indianapolis 500, the cars in which race at more than 190 miles per hour. However, those vehicles go for 200 laps and 500 miles.
The Indiana iGaming legislation didn’t go nearly that far.
Online Poker Report‘s sister site, PlayIndiana, explains why:
“The House Public Policy Committee did not advance the iGaming bills by Tuesday’s deadline to report bills from committee.
“That ends the possibility of online casino taking the standard legislative route. And, while there are ways the Senate could get creative to revive the issue this session, Sen. Jon Ford tells PlayIndiana that the political will isn’t there at this time.”
The online casino industry was hopeful
On Jan. 19, iDEA Growth (iDevelopment and Economic Association) sent OPR an estimate of Indiana’s likely online casino revenue. Using HB 1356 as a baseline, iDEA presented research showing Indiana would see $500 million in new gaming tax revenue.
The Hoosier State also would’ve taxed operators at 18%, if either of the bills had become law.
However, the efforts stalled at the starting grid. That leaves Illinois as the only state with active online casino legislation in 2022, and its chances this year aren’t great either. There is, however, an outside chance that another state like Iowa or Maryland could float a bill. And north of the border, there has been some good news, as Ontario now has a launch date for its online gambling market.