Casino Referendum on Inland Gambling to Appear on November Ballots in Three Indiana Counties

Voters in three northeast Indiana counties will decide this November whether to allow a new inland casino in their community, after election boards in Allen, DeKalb, and Steuben counties certified a public question for the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The DeKalb County Election Board made its decision Wednesday, joining earlier certifications by the Steuben County Election Board and the Allen County Elections Board.

The referendum reads the same in each county: “Shall inland casino gambling be permitted in (insert the name of the county)?” Notably, the question is appearing on ballots even though county officials in some of these jurisdictions have not held public discussions specifically about a casino — the vote is mandated by state law rather than initiated locally.

The Law Behind the Ballot Question

The referendums trace back to House Enrolled Act 1038, signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun. The legislation authorizes the Indiana Gaming Commission to award a new riverboat-style license for an inland casino located in Allen, DeKalb, or Steuben county — but only after local voters sign off. If a majority in a given county rejects the measure, state law bars a second public question from being held there.

The bill originated as a vehicle for Full House Resorts, which has pushed to relocate its existing Indiana gaming license from Rising Sun to a more lucrative market in the northeastern part of the state. Lawmakers later amended the statute so that any operator of a brick-and-mortar casino located in the United States — not just Full House — can bid on the license once a county approves the referendum. The bill passed the Indiana House by a 67-30 vote before being signed into law.

What a Winning Bid Would Require

Should voters in any of the three counties approve the measure, the timeline for developers moves quickly. Under HEA 1038, interested operators must submit bids to the Indiana Gaming Commission by Dec. 1, 2026. Winning applicants must commit to investing at least $500 million in the new casino and accompanying nongaming amenities, with at least 60% of that spending completed within two years of receiving the license.

The financial terms are steep on the state side as well. An approved operator must pay a one-time $150 million fee to the commission, split between the state general fund and Indiana’s shuttered riverboat fund. Local estimates tied to the project — floated in connection with a potential site near the Interstate 69 and Indiana Toll Road interchange — suggest a completed casino could generate as much as $16.6 million in annual local tax revenue and create roughly 1,000 jobs.

Only One County Can Win the License

Despite three counties holding nearly identical referendums this fall, HEA 1038 permits only one of them to ultimately land a casino. Allen and DeKalb county governments have shown comparatively less enthusiasm for the project than Steuben’s board, but the law forces the public question onto ballots in all three regardless of local government sentiment. If more than one county approves its referendum, developers would presumably weigh competing local proposals before the Gaming Commission makes its final call — though the process for resolving that scenario has not been spelled out publicly.

Steuben County has been the most visibly engaged of the three so far. Its Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution earlier this month formally placing the binding referendum on the November ballot, with officials framing the move as putting the ultimate decision directly in residents’ hands rather than leaving it to elected boards. County leaders there have pointed to the proposed I-69 and Indiana Toll Road interchange site as a logistically attractive location for a resort-style property, given its proximity to interstate traffic and the broader northeast Indiana corridor.

Why Full House Resorts Is Watching Closely

The origins of this fight go back to Full House Resorts’ long-running interest in relocating away from its existing Rising Sun casino, a smaller riverboat property in southeastern Indiana that has underperformed relative to the state’s larger gaming markets. Company executives have argued publicly that a license tied to the Fort Wayne region — anchored by Allen County’s larger population base — represents a far stronger long-term opportunity than continuing to operate in Ohio County. That advocacy helped shape the original version of HB 1038, which initially would have reserved the relocation option for Full House alone before lawmakers broadened it during House proceedings to let any of Indiana’s 13 licensed casino operators compete for the new inland license.

That amendment matters for how the bidding process will likely play out if a referendum passes. Rather than a single operator with an inside track, the Gaming Commission could field proposals from multiple established brick-and-mortar operators nationwide, all competing on investment scale, amenities, and community benefit commitments. With a Dec. 1, 2026 submission deadline already set in state law, any operator eyeing the opportunity has a narrow window to finalize site plans and financing once a county’s voters give the green light.

What Comes Next

For now, all eyes turn to Nov. 3, when voters in Allen, DeKalb, and Steuben counties will settle the first major hurdle in what could become Indiana’s newest gaming market. A rejected referendum in any of the three would permanently close that county out of contention under HEA 1038’s one-shot provision, while an approval would kick off a fast-moving bidding process with national operators watching closely. Bettors and industry watchers tracking the broader U.S. betting and gaming landscape can follow ongoing state-by-state developments through resources like Online Sportsbooks in Indiana.