SB 47 loosens up the restrictions on Indiana gambling a little bit. It further allows us to move away from the riverboat pretense by allowing the riverboat to be converted into a permanently moored craft. It also creates a procedure for the licensed casinos to conduct card tournaments in land-based structures adjacent to the dock.
The bill also allows the casinos to outsource food and beverage service caterers who are independent contractors. Furthermore, it removes some accountability provisions attached to giving away free booze to patrons. Current law requires the facility to register free drinks on the cash register and for the license holder to actually pay the tab at the end of the night. This bill dispenses with that kind of record keeping. And, it allows a casino or horse track to get paid for advertising alcohol by brand name.
It passed the House on third reading by a vote of 58-41 and was returned to the Senate without amendment and, so, should be on its way to the governor.
Now if only they’d get busy on raising the ceiling on the “Microbrewery” production volumes, I could stop hearing these unnerving rumblings that Three Floyds might be packing it in and heading out of state…
I’m so sick of frustrating over-regulation. Is this kind of shit truly necessary?
The whole issue of water based and land based is beyond funny. Gambling of various forms has become an addiction for the state as to income so all the noise about details is public administration and politics at its (nearly so) worse.
Can we please just skip to the end? Its obvious, after years and years of the Hoosier Lottery, that gambling is supported by the populace of the state. Skip all this legislative B.S. and just go to the end, saving us tons of money and campaign promises.
While you are at it, allow selling alcohol on sunday, legalize pot, allow gays to marry, acknowledge that abortions are going to happen no matter what your morality might be and they need to be safe, and let’s start to move into the 21st century to tackle the REAL issues.
They added the microbrewery language to House Bill 1132 yesterday in the Senate Public Policy Committee. It raises the ceiling to 30,000 to give them time to study the whole issue.
I’m going to go over to Three Floyds tonight and raise a glass of Alpha King in honor of the fine men and women that passed this legislation. ;)