Indiana Counties Put $500m Casino Hopes to a Referendum
The proposal could bring jobs and new tax receipts according to supporters
Voters in Allen, DeKalb and Steuben counties will decide on 3 November whether to allow inland casino gambling according to local reporting.
The ballot test could open the door to a $500 million project in north-east Indiana.
The question, placed there under House Enrolled Act 1038, asks whether casino gambling should be permitted in each county.
If a county approves the measure, developers would have until 1 December to submit applications to the Indiana Gaming Commission. If it fails, the current process bars the question from returning there.
Revenue Pitch Meets Resistance
Supporters say the proposal could bring construction jobs, permanent employment and new tax receipts at a time when local budgets are under strain.
Tom Borne, who is helping lead Advance Fort Wayne’s “Yes for Allen” campaign, said, “We’ve been on a really, really nice run for about eight to 10 years.”
He added, “let’s take a big bite of the apple, and keep this coming through and making our community even better and stronger.”
The campaign says the project could require about 5,500 temporary construction workers and create 2,000 operating jobs, figures opponents dispute.
A Wider Regional Fight
The debate has broadened beyond gaming policy into a question of local finances and community identity. Steve Corona of Fort Wayne Community Schools said, “Our school district is just getting killed.
We lost $10 million last year. We’re losing $11 million.” He has backed the proposal after linking it to potential school revenue.
A 2025 study commissioned by the Indiana Gaming Commission estimated an Allen County casino could generate $204 million in annual revenue and $61 million in state gaming taxes.
Opposition Warns of Social Costs
Critics say the economic upside must be weighed against gambling-related harm. Kristen Bissontz of the Coalition for a Better Indiana said, “The casino industry is predatory in nature,” and argued that the industry preys on financially vulnerable people. U.S. Representative Marlin Stutzman also opposed the plan, saying, “Business development is a top priority of mine, but gambling is the opposite.”
The vote will decide only whether each county can pursue a licence, not where a casino would be built or who would run it.
At the start of this year, Indiana lawmakers advanced an amendment to House Bill 1038 that would let the state reallocate the Rising Star Casino license from Ohio County to one of four inland markets, Allen, DeKalb, Steuben or Wayne.
