After a gradual buildup over the last two years, the quest for an Indianapolis casino is quickly picking up steam in 2026. The biggest roadblock, however, might come in the form of in-state competition.
Indiana state Senator Aaron Freeman this month filed Senate Bill 244, which would allow Full House Resorts to relocate its casino licence from the city of Rising Sun to Marion County, where Indianapolis is located. Full House operates Rising Star Casino in Rising Sun but has pursued relocation possibilities for multiple years. Rising Star is currently the worst-performing casino in the state by adjusted gross revenue.
The bill would place multiple conditions on the relocation, including:
- An annual “community support fee” paid to Rising Sun and Ohio County.
- Sign-off from the mayors of Rising Sun and Indianapolis.
- A $25 million licence relocation fee.
- An investment minimum for a new Marion County casino of at least $750 million.
- A $50 million fee for selling or transferring the new licence within 10 years.
Full House first started exploring relocation options in 2024, and the conversation around casino performance in Indiana has continued ever since. In 2025 lawmakers passed SEA 43, which required regulators to commission a study identifying the two best markets for a casino relocation. That study, submitted in September by Spectrum Gaming Group, said downtown Indianapolis and the Fort Wayne area were the biggest targets.
“It’s clear that if the goal is revenue, you put a casino in downtown Indianapolis every day of the week and twice on Sunday,” Freeman told the Indianapolis Business Journal. “If the goal is something else, then somebody needs to tell me that, and then we’ll adjust our conduct accordingly.”
Full House did not respond to requests for comment.
County vs. county for a relocated licence
While Freeman’s bill is the most direct attempt yet to facilitate an Indianapolis casino, it is now competing with a separate measure. Senate Bill 70, from senators Justin Busch and Randy Maxwell, seeks to move the licence instead to Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located.
The language of SB70 is very similar to Freeman’s bill, though the investment minimum for the Allen County licence would be $500 million instead of $750 million for Indianapolis. Several other aspects, including the $25 million relocation fee and $50 million early-out fee, are the same.
Spectrum’s report estimated that an Indianapolis casino would “generate an estimated $170.7 million in gaming-tax receipts”, compared to an estimated $61.1 million from an Allen County facility. Despite the difference, stakeholders have so far been hesitant to go all-in on the state’s capital city. SB 70 has advanced out of one committee as of writing, whereas SB 244 has not.
The question of competition also looms large. Indiana already has 13 commercial casinos throughout the state, and a central facility in the capital would almost certainly cannibalise revenue from some existing licensees.
Spectrum estimated the two closest properties to downtown Indianaplois — Horseshoe Indianapolis and Harrah’s Hoosier Park — could lose 25% of their existing revenue from such a relocation. The Fort Wayne area wouldn’t generate as much revenue, but it also wouldn’t have as much cannabalisation impact, researchers said.
Indianapolis casino would follow large-city trend
Overall, the Indianapolis casino debate follows an ongoing trend of existing gaming states exploring new opportunities in their biggest population centres.
For example, Bally’s Corp. will open its permanent Chicago casino in September — Illinois had already established casinos and slot routes elsewhere in the state but eventually turned to its largest city to help fuel growth.
New York is another example, as three New York City casino proposals were approved in December. The Empire State had intentionally waited to begin the downstate process after establishing both commercial and tribal casinos upstate approximately 10 and 20 years before, respectively.
Iowa is perhaps the most applicable example to Indiana, given their size and proximity. Last February, Iowa regulators approved a sizeable casino development in Cedar Rapids, the state’s second-largest city. In that case, a new licence was awarded rather than a relocation, but the process involved much of the same considerations related to revenue generation and competition with existing licensees.
Jess Marquez
Jess has covered the global gaming industry since 2022. A native of Reno, Nevada, he’d like to note that it’s Ne-va-da, not Ne-VAH-da.
Is an Indianapolis casino in the cards? Not if Fort Wayne has anything to say about it.