No to taxbreaks for Indiana racinos
INDIANAPOLIS – Even Indiana has its gaming issues.
The Indianapolis Star, this morning, editorialized against giving the state’s two racetrack casinos tax breaks.
The racinos are located in communities outside of Indianapolis and each house 2,000 slot machines. Fifteen months after opening, the operators want a tax break.
“In other words, the companies gambled on their new casinos’ profitability. Now, they want a state bailout,” the newspaper editorialized.
Indiana is a strong gaming market for Nevada companies. Ameristar Casinos and Boyd Gaming Corp. operate riverboat hotel-casino properties in the northern part of the state that cater to neighboring Chicago. Pinnacle Entertainment’s Beltarra Casino is in the southern part of the state and grabs a large market share from neighboring Cincinnati.
Tim Swarens, the Indianapolis Star’s editorial page editor, said casino gaming is a tricky issue in the somewhat conservative Midwest state. People, for the most part, don’t like gambling, but they like the taxes associated with the business.
If there were ever a casino opened in downtown Indianapolis, it would be a huge moneymaker, Indiana residents said.
Editor’s note: Review-Journal gaming writer Howard Stutz is in Indianapolis as a delegate at the Society of Professional Journalists annual convention.
