Indiana lawmakers won’t consider any gaming bills in the 2024 session.
That’s because a former state legislator recently agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges stemming from the last major gaming bill in 2019.
Former Rep. Sean Eberhart (R-Shelbyville) is admitting to taking a bribe — the promise of a six-figure job with Spectacle Gaming — in exchange for his support of the 2019 bill that benefitted Spectacle.
Both House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) agreed the fallout from that will rule out any gaming legislation in the upcoming session.
READ MORE: Ex-state lawmaker to plead guilty to federal corruption charges
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And Bray said it makes it more difficult to consider gaming bills beyond 2024.
“It taints the Statehouse,” Bray said. “It diminishes the confidence that people have in the integrity of the Statehouse. It causes an awful lot of problems and it makes it particularly difficult to engage in that kind of policy.”
The gaming industry had been trying to get lawmakers to legalize online casino gambling in recent years.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.
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