A new bill to legalize online casinos in Indiana would also give the thumbs up to the online versions of Hoosier Lottery games.
The Hoosier Lottery recently tried to shift its games online before the state legislature shut the move down. Now Indiana’s online casino bill is giving internet lottery games a second chance.
Online lottery games coming to Indiana
Lawmakers are taking another swing at expanding internet gambling in Indiana. The latest online casino bill could potentially spawn a billion dollar industry in the state.
The focus of the bill is adding online versions of classic casino games. Games like blackjack, roulette and poker, for instance.
The bill will hit the floor of Indiana’s House of Representatives sooner rather than later. Indiana’s legislative session begins in early January.
Online lottery might not be center stage, but lawmakers are still including it in the online casino bill.
The idea is to legalize all forms of internet gambling in one swoop. Making a big push for legalization allows lawmakers to focus their efforts into one larger bill, rather than multiple smaller ones over the course of several years.
All things considered, this is good news for Hoosier Lottery players in Indiana. Racking up the votes to pass one gambling bill is hard enough, much less for multiple at a time.
With online casinos taking the spotlight in 2023, that could have left internet lottery games as the odd man out until 2024 or later.
Instead, lottery and casino expansion get to hold hands as they make their way through the statehouse together. That could give Hoosiers more gambling options than ever before if things go well.
Lawmakers shut down online lottery
Hoosier Lottery officials tried to shift their games online earlier this year. A handful of other states in the US already offer online lotto games, so the move would have added Indiana to the top of the pile.
However, state lawmakers shut down the plan before it could really begin. The lottery is a big money maker for Indiana, so offering online versions of games could potentially have huge financial impacts.
Because of that, lawmakers decided to pump the brakes on the Hoosier Lottery’s expansion.
A group of legislators put HB 1260 together to halt the progress. That bill specifically forbids the Hoosier Lottery from moving its games online without permission.
“Provides that, unless specifically granted authority by a statute passed by the general assembly, the state lottery commission and Indiana Gaming Commission shall not, independently or by public-private partnership, operate or authorize the use or operation of particular games and sales over the Internet.”
That shut down the online lottery party for 2022, but now lawmakers are getting involved again.
There’s no way to know how things will go until the next legislative session starts, but at the very least, the ball will get rolling before long. If Indiana’s online casino bill passes in a few months, then online lottery games will be legal in Indiana sometime next year.
