In Indiana and Tuesday reportedly saw voters in Vigo County pass an official local referendum that could see their area become home to the Midwestern state’s newest inland casino.

According to a Tuesday report from the News and Tribune newspaper, the referendum was engendered after May saw Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb put his signature to a wide-ranging piece of legislation that allows Spectacle Entertainment to amalgamate the licenses for its floating Majestic Star Casino Hotel and Majestic Star Casino Hotel II facilities before moving combined operations to a new and larger land-based site.

Unique opportunity:

The newspaper reported that this move is due to free up one of the state’s existing casino licenses, which Spectacle Entertainment will be required to forfeit before being able to commence operations at a new Indiana facility located near the northern city of Gary. The legislation moreover purportedly allowed Vigo County to apply for permission to utilize this liberated license should its voters approve such a move via a referendum.

Sanction success:

The News and Tribune reported that residents of Vigo County have now subsequently approved just such an outcome via a margin of about 63% to 37% with prospective operators now being invited to submit their casino proposals to the Indiana Gaming Commission before the expiration of a December 1 deadline. Both Spectacle Entertainment and Full House Resorts Incorporated are purportedly known to be interested in bringing a casino to the area around the city of Terre Haute although any authorization is set to come with a minimum $100 million price tag.

Gargantuan gains:

One of the authors of the aforementioned legislation, Indiana State Senator Jon Ford, reportedly told the newspaper that he is ‘very happy’ that Vigo County will now be able to host a casino and benefit from the new jobs, tax revenues and economic opportunities such a facility is certain to create.

Ford reportedly told the News and Tribune…

“I think it was a solid vote that shows Terre Haute was ready for this opportunity and I’m very happy about the outcome. The community came up during [the legislative] session and continued to work hard all summer and fall and I think it sends a solid message to the rest of the state that Terre Haute is open for business [and] we are working to together to move the community forward. There’s no doubt that had we not seized this opportunity, other communities in Indiana were ready to come after this license.”