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Bill to legalize online gambling fails to advance in 2023 session

Republican Representative Ethan Manning speaks to another lawmaker during floor debate in the Indiana House. Manning is a white man with red hair and a beard, wearing glasses and a suit.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
Rep. Ethan Manning (R-Denver) said he'll work to educate lawmakers on the importance of legalizing online gambling as a way to help curb the black market.

There was a lot of momentum for Indiana to legalize online gambling in the 2023 session. But a bill to do so – and allow online lottery – went nowhere this session.

Indiana legalized online sports gaming in 2019. But table games – like poker and blackjack – are still only legal at casinos. Rep. Ethan Manning’s (R-Denver) bill, HB 1536, would’ve legalized online table games and online lottery. But he never even brought the measure for a hearing this session.

He said he needs to better educate lawmakers and the public on the importance of legalizing i-gaming.

“We know that we have a very large black market for i-gaming now – it’s been shown in other states," Manning said. "And we know that, by bringing it into the light, we can add consumer protections and do a lot of things with responsible gaming that we’re not able to do right now.”

READ MORE: Hoosier Lottery officials not lobbying lawmakers to expand online

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Manning said the state also needs to determine whether online gambling will hurt brick-and-mortar casino revenues. Industry studies say it won’t – but a fiscal analysis of Manning’s bill by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency predicted it would.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.