SOUTH BEND, of Indiana, is negotiating with an amateur American tribe to have expanded gambling that lets more people gamble at its casino South Bend.
Last month, The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians based out of Michigan asked govt official of Indiana, Eric Holcomb to initiate terms about an agreement that lets it bring live table games to its space. The games include blackjack & roulette, and sports betting at its South Bend Casino, four winds.
The casino started in early 2018 and is restricted according to federal law to just electronic games & a poker room with no proper state agreement. But the tribe is assumed to have an agreement for its 3 casinos from Michigan.
Gaming Commission from Indianianna, Sara Gonso Tait speaks to the Tribune of South Bend about a state negotiating committee, saying that it hasn’t been appointed yet and refused to speak on the time duration for the discussion.
The band made the request to the state on August 13th, and Gov. Eric Holcomb has also picked Sara Gonso Tait, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, as the lead to the yet to be constituted committed of negotiations for the state.
“We’re still early in the process and that’s the most I can tell you at this point,” Tait said.
Indiana’s casino industry already faced turbulence with the opening of South Bend, first-ever tribal casino of the state. The casino was exclusively set up to lure people towards gambling from across the borders and gain a business edge without having to pay state taxes.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians opened the south bends Four Winds Casino to the people on the 10th of September, that makes the count 7 with 3 more casinos that are already open in southwestern regions of Michigan.
Currently, Indiana’s 13 casinos have been run by private firms, controlled under state officials & remunerated for 27% approx. In local taxes & state taxes over their net revenue & profits in the year 2018. The Casino, South Bend is free of any state taxes or regulation imposition because of being owned by an Indian tribe that is federally recognized and is blind to pay two percent of its profits to South Bend city according to an agreement signed.
According to commission reports from Indiana Gaming, the Pokagon Band began draining from Indiana’s casino windfall while its first casino was opened in the year 2007 across the state border in, Michigan’s New Buffalo region. Since then, Gambling competition has seen a rise from various surrounding territories, ultimately landing plunging Indiana’s casino profits by one fifth. It also shed around 3,000 jobs ever since peaking in the year 2009.
