Lawmakers concerned about usurpation of gambling authority

Mike Smith, writing for the Associated Press, has an article about new rules adopted by the Indiana Gaming Commission and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission that might be considered an usurpation of the General Assembly’s authority to control gambling in Indiana. The gaming commission adopted new rules that allows casinos to become more like buildings and less like boats. State law requires the building to be boats and not barges, though the General Assembly has considered allowing casinos to operate on barges, for a small fee of course.

Legislators have considered allowing barges in the past in exchange for major fees but have not done so. But Pelath said the expanding casinos fit his description of a barge.

“A barge is what a barge does, which is sit there and be real big,” he said. “And whether you strap a motor onto the back of it, it doesn’t make it not a barge.”

I love that explanation about barges. With respect to the Horse Racing Commission

Some lawmakers also are irked at emergency rules adopted by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission and gaming commission that require the state to consider seeking money or other benefits before allowing ownership interests to be sold.

. . .

Yelton said he agreed with Daniels’ philosophy behind the rules — that the state should benefit if a casino or track owner makes a significant profit for selling its ownership in a license that allowed it to make great sums of money.
But Sen. Lindel Hume, D-Princeton, said it was “on the borderline of extortion.” And Pelath said it violated legislative powers.
“I’m absolutely certain we didn’t delegate taxing authority to the gaming commission, and it wouldn’t even be constitutional if we did,” he said.

Gov. Daniels should probably consider running for the General Assembly – he really, really seems to enjoy legislative power.