RISING SUN, Ind. — A bill recently passed by the Indiana House would relocate Rising Star Casino's existing gaming license from Rising Sun to a new casino in Northeast or East Central Indiana.
As written, House Bill 1038 would allow the license to move to either Allen County, DeKalb County or Steuben County—all near the Fort Wayne area—or Wayne County, which is 75 miles northwest of Cincinnati.
In a statement on Friday, Rising Sun Mayor Steve Slack said the city is aware of the legislation.
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"Rising Sun and Ohio County elected officials have been in constant contact with Senator Randy Maxwell, Rep. Garrett Bascom, and various other legislators, including Indiana House and Senate leadership, in an effort to ensure that the concerns of our community are heard and addressed," he said. "We are grateful to both Senator Maxwell and Rep. Bascom for their tireless advocacy on this issue. Out of respect for the legislative process, the City has no additional statement at this time."
We reached out to Rising Star Casino and its parent company, Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts Inc., on Friday for comment. In a statement, a company spokesperson said, "We are closely monitoring House Bill 1038 as it works its way through the Indiana General Assembly."
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The WCPO 9 I-Team has previously reported on potential moves for Greater Cincinnati’s oldest casino, which opened in 1996 and saw its revenues tumble after Cincinnati casinos began to open in 2013.
Any move out of Rising Sun or Ohio County would impact the community. In 2023, local governments claimed nearly $6 million in riverboat gambling receipts. As of late 2024, a community foundation had distributed $47 million in casino-enabled grants since 1997.
"It revitalized this town," said Marsha Louden, owner of the Empire House Hotel, which sits on the Ohio River and operates near the casino. "Our first responders, our fire trucks—we were able to renovate parks. We have a nice, great community swimming pool. These are all perks that we would not have been able to put together without the casino."
If passed, House Bill 1038 would allow any of Indiana's commercial casinos to bid on the license by Dec. 1, 2026. The eventual license recipient would have to pay the city of Rising Sun and Ohio County $30 million due to the loss in tax revenue.
"It helps a lot. It definitely does. But how they (would) use that $30 million? I don't know," Louden said.
HB 1038 would allow Rising Star Casino to continue gambling operations on the riverboat in Ohio County until one day before the date the commission has approved gambling operations to begin under the relocated owner's license.
The bill has been sent to the Indiana Senate Committee on Appropriations. It is still possible it could change before it is put to a vote.
On Thursday, during the Indiana Committee on Public Policy's hearing on HB 1038, several amendments were proposed but not voted on. One amendment proposed keeping the gaming license with Full House Resorts, Inc., while allowing the Indiana Gaming Commission to award a new license elsewhere.
