Horseshoe Southern Indiana floating casino unveiled that it has already taken major steps to move its gambling operations onshore. The casino is considering such relocation for quite some time after Indiana adopted a new law that allows floating casinos to a land-based location, which is near their current location. The Tropicana Evansville casino was the first entertainment facility that moved its operations from the water to land. Almost 3 years later, Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino unveiled that it has taken a key step to move its gaming on-land.
According to reliable sources, the project was unanimously approved by the Harrison County Plan Commission earlier this month. Caesars Entertainment Corporation, the company behind Horseshoe Southern Indiana, plans to invest millions to move its casino operations from the banks of the Ohio River to land. The plan for the Horseshoe Southern Indiana would see an 81,000-square-foot structure next to an existing parking garage on Indiana 111. The casino floor is expected to be very spacious and the gambling operations will be located on the second floor.
Casino officials declined to provide further details on the project, but they said that the casino is currently exploring the different opportunities. According to the Plan Commission file, the project would see the “demolition of the existing sky bridge from the parking garage to the casino” in order to make space for the main entrance of the casino. Indiana Gaming Commission has the last word on the potential relocation of Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino.
Growing Tendency to Move Floating Casinos Onshore
The casinos of Indiana saw their revenues slump amid growing competition from casinos in neighboring states. Since the 1990s, casinos were forced to offer gambling operations on riverboats. In 2015, Indiana lawmakers added their signatures to a measure that would allow riverboat casinos to establish land-based gambling venues. Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino has been stuck to its anchoring spot on the Ohio River since 1998.
Casino officials have pushed for such a change for quite some time, as it would create a boon for the development of the casino industry, which needed to confront an array of obstacles. The gambling industry makes a total contribution of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy annually. As a result, a number of states across the U.S. have started to adopt more casino-friendly laws.
Yesterday, Louisiana made the headlines after lawmakers unveiled plans to introduce a new legislative package that would allow its riverboat casinos to move onshore with larger gaming spaces. Such changes in the state’s gambling framework would help casinos to battle the growing competition from neighboring states. Roughly estimated, the state reaped more than $400 million from riverboat casinos in taxes.
