Lawmakers, locals start to take sides over possible casino move
In our last issue, we told you that Sen. Tyler Johnson (R) of Leo, whose SD 14 includes the proposed site for a new Full House Resorts, Inc. casino in New Haven, was preparing to host a town hall meeting about the proposed project on Monday, November 18. He did so with Sen. Liz Brown (R) of Fort Wayne and Rep. Dave Heine (R), also of Fort Wayne, whose district includes New Haven. An estimated 120 people showed up to the event, with the bulk of those opposed, and that opposition is starting to become more organized than we have seen to date.
Indeed, the Coalition for a Better Allen County is the new anti-casino vehicle (a website is online at saynotocasino.org; WANE-TV in Fort Wayne “was told all the funding to run the campaign against the casino is from local donors”) to counter the Full House “All In On New Haven” campaign. One of the key organizers of the opposition is a familiar name in Hoosier political and policy circles: Cathie Humbarger. She recently retired as the long-time executive director of Allen County Right to Life, arguably the state’s most influential pro-life group, and Humbarger herself has been one of the state’s most influential behind-the-scenes Indiana Republican Party policy influencers. Many of those involved with Humbarger were also part of the opposition to a potential Fort Wayne casino some 15 years ago, and their close ties with local and regional GOP officials will ensure that the fight remains respectful and does not become personal.
For its part, Full House has always been deferential to communities in which it has sought to operate, and has never sought to impose its will and projects on a governmental unit which was not receptive to the concept. “We appreciate and respect the views of those opposing our proposed resort and casino development,” said Zack Sand, the Fort Wayne political, public relations, and policy consultant hired by Full House to help advance the project and alleviate concerns. “Likewise, we hope they appreciate and respect the views of all local residents who welcome the $500 million of private investment, thousands of jobs, tens of millions of annual tax revenues, and homeowner property tax rebates that our proposal will bring to New Haven and Northeast Indiana,” adds Sand, who worked with some of the Republican lawmakers in the area when he served on the Senate Majority Caucus and campaign staff.
The tone was set for the town hall session when Sen. Johnson informed attendees that “I have not supported any gambling legislation in the legislature” to-date in his two-year tenure, and will continue to vote against proposals for any expansion. “In my legislative career, I’ve not really been for gambling. I have a pretty negative outlook on it,” Sen. Johnson adds to WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne. He explains to participants that “we’re still real early in the process for bill filing, so we’ll find out next couple weeks – next months even – what that’ll look like. If someone will file a bill – I’m sure they will – we don’t know what it looks like yet. It has to have certain provisions in it even to get a license approved, so it’ll have all those things legality-wise in there,” the freshman solon adds. He later adds to Inside INdiana Business, “I don’t have a short-term outlook on this. I have a long-term outlook on my community and I want to weigh the risks and benefits quite a bit. There’s definitely some social impact that can’t be ignored from traffic patterns all the way down to addiction. There’s a lot of concerns I’ve waded through over the past few months.” He adds that he takes Full House’s tax projections “with a grain of salt.”
Sen. Brown in her inimitable manner, adds more succinctly, “I don’t give a flying fig what unicorns and rainbows they’re promising. I don’t think the amount of money they’re promising is worth it to this community,” she scoffs, suggesting that it should not be classified as economic development. Sen. Brown later tells the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, “In 1993, the General Assembly legalized casino gambling and provided that the Indiana Gaming Commission would regulate and control the issuance of licenses. The law also required that casino gambling be approved by a referendum vote before a casino could be licensed to operate in local communities.” She continues, “If approved, gaming taxes are imposed on the revenue generated by the casino and are deposited into the state’s General Fund. For the past several years, gaming taxes have been one of the top five revenue sources for the state. Simply put, these casinos exist to be a revenue producing organization, not an economic development project for the community.” Her bottom line: “After listening to constituents and interested parties in northeast Indiana, and particularly in the New Haven area, I am opposed to a casino being located in our area.”
Asked later about the proposed project by Inside INdiana Business, Sen. Brown also called characterizes Full House’s revenue and tax projections as “hyperbolic.” “In her view, the legislature needs to have a larger conversation about its goals as it pertains to gaming revenue before addressing licenses. ‘Before we do anything we have to have a deep dive. I do not think a casino is the economic development solution to northeast Indiana,’ said Brown.”
Rep. Heine noted that “This bill will be authored by someone that doesn’t live in the district on the Senate side. We’ll see what happens. But I’ve never seen that happen before.” He tells those present that he is against a local casino, but can’t yet determine whether a majority of his colleagues feel the same way. “I’ve been doing this now eight years. I’ve learned one thing: You never know what’s going to happen from where I sit. It’s going to be a hard bill. Transferring a license is very tough in the State of Indiana. We’re not Nevada, we’re not Atlantic City – we’re Indiana,” Rep. Heine suggests.
Not all local lawmakers are expected to oppose the license transfer proposition (which, as we’ve been cautioning you, is not likely to be a binary choice, moving the Full House Rising Sun license to New Haven or not; it is likely to see a push for other companies to bid on a proposed license transfer, the ultimate location may not be limited to New Haven, and other casino operators may also seek to shift their own casinos).
Sen. Andy Zay (R) of Huntington has spoken out in favor of a casino move and is expected to carry the key piece of authorizing legislation. Sen. Zay tells the Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. 2025 Legislative Preview, “We have to fight harder and louder every time we ask to get money from Indianapolis. “Fort Wayne, Hamilton County, Boone County – they can finish things with 1-2-3 asks. But we have to ask 10-15 times here.” He sees the casino move as a bold, outside the box option to bring in dollars that won’t burden taxpayers.
Sen. Zay tells Marek Mazurek of Inside INdiana Business that he “can’t deny” the tax revenue a casino such as proposed would bring to area units of government – without seeking local handouts – not including a $50 million expected increase in state tax dollars from a move. “Zay said his support for the project is guided by his trust in New Haven Mayor Steve McMichael. To Zay, the town of New Haven is where the buck ultimately stops, so the town’s elected leaders should have a big say. ‘For my style of legislating, I’m going to support the locals every day of the week,’ Zay said. ‘It’s not something Mayor McMichael has stepped into lightly. It’s something he’s taken the time, researched and followed through. I’m happy to support Steve. I think it’s a great opportunity, a great investment for northeast Indiana.’ ” Like Zay and most of the local officials, Mayor McMichael is a Republican.
Sen. Justin Busch (R) of Fort Wayne, a key charity gaming advocate, is believed to be amenable to a change – particularly if he can win revenue sharing of sorts for Fort Wayne and Allen County and avoid impingement on FTW convention and meeting facilities.
Note that the most recent proposal calls for the casino to be sited at the southeast corner of the U.S. 30 and I-469 intersection, next to Flying J Travel Center, on the eastern edge of New Haven (and the 469 loop around the Summit City, which is west of New Haven).
Rep. Kyle Miller (D) of Fort Wayne is also “leaning in support of the project,” reports WANE-TV. “As elected officials, we each have our own lanes,” said Miller of opposition from his local colleagues. “The question before us state representatives is, ‘Should the state gain an additional $50 million in state revenues by moving the casino license?’ And in general, I think that’s a hard thing to turn down,” is the early conclusion reached by Rep. Miller.
The Coalition for a Better Allen County explains on its website that “Northeast Indiana, a place where everyone knows each other and feels welcome, is a great spot for businesses to grow. But bringing a big casino from Las Vegas wouldn’t be a good idea. Why? Because it doesn’t fit with what our community stands for. We value family, safety, and keeping things nice and clean. A casino usually brings some problems like gambling addiction and crime. It could also take away business from local stores and restaurants. Let’s keep Northeast Indiana the way it is – a friendly place where everyone feels safe and happy.” To do so, the group offers sample letters to send to state and local officials opposing the casinos, along with the names and addresses of those local leaders. “CASINOS CORRUPT COMMUNITIES” declares the coalition, serving up these claimed specifics:
ENABLE ADDICTION The presence of a casino roughly doubles the number of pathological gamblers within a 50-mile radius.
DESTROY RELATIONSHIPS 16% of Illinois Gamblers Anonymous members were divorced due to gambling.
INCREASE CRIME 75% of pathological gamblers admit to committing at least one felony to support their habit.
HARM COMMUNITIES Nearly 20% of homeless people admit that gambling contributed to their poverty.
A petition battle of sorts has been undertaken in the area. All In On New Haven, the group backed by Full House, collects more than 1,500 signatures from local citizens supporting its proposal. Of the 1,500+ supporters, Full House says that 95% live in Allen County, and more than one-half are New Haven residents. The forces pushing back on a local casino, the Coalition for a Better Allen County tell the station “that most of their signatures came from New Haven residents.” Full House tells WANE 15’s Dirk Rowley that it had invested approximately $20,000 on the “All In On New Haven” campaign, but opponents would not detail funding and sources for its yard signs and mailers. Signers of the Full House petition from Allen County were able to opt in for a chance to win one of 20 $1,000 dining gift cards, redeemable at the future New Haven property (or at any other Full House casino).
“The easy thing for me to do would have been to say, ‘no,’ ” New Haven Mayor McMichael tells Rowley of WANE 15 in the Summit City.
In the exclusive interview, Mayor McMichael tells Rowley that when he was initially approached by Full House about bringing the casino to his community, he was skeptical. “But once he began to examine the data, specifically from a 2022 study by the Indiana University School of Public Health and the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling, he felt the risks were outweighed by the rewards. He then began a fact-finding tour of 12 of the 13 Indiana Gaming Commission-regulated casinos and their communities, paying for his own transportation. ‘I haven’t been able to talk to any community in Indiana that has a casino that hasn’t said they’re good partners, they are the first to step up whenever a natural disaster or other things happen, and not (a) single one has said they wish they would go away,’ he reported. He rebuffed the idea that a casino unfairly targets the working poor, who might be more enticed to gamble away non-discretionary income, and added Indiana casinos are populated mostly with people who have household incomes over $100,000 a year.”
The second-term mayor – who earlier served as city council president – noted that several who have criticized the local casino plan in public admitted to him privately that they visit casinos themselves . . . but just don’t want one in town, “which McMichael said is counterproductive. ‘That money is going to a tribal casino in Michigan instead of being able to help with the issues that are already in our communities.’ ”
Mayor McMichael was a key figure at a pro-casino town hall meeting on Tuesday, December 10, and WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne reports that “More than 330 people showed up to … show their support for the proposed casino. They heard from local elected leaders and community members who voiced their approval.”
Asked after the annual Indiana Chamber of Commerce legislative preview about whether there will be casino legislation in 2025 given the push for the license transfer, House Speaker Todd Huston (R) of Fishers responds, “I think we will have conversations around that. I think those bills are always challenging and complicated, but I know it’s an issue that people want to discuss, so I imagine those conversations will take place.
I’m not sure if any actual action will take place around it,” the Speaker cautions.