Bill to Move Casino to New Haven Filed in Indiana Legislature

^{The Rising Star casino has been on the same boat for 28 years, and owner Full House Resorts thinks it might be time to bring its games fully onto land. (Image: Emily Gibney / WCPO Cincinnati)}

An Indiana state senator has introduced a bill that would allow one of the worst performing casinos in the state to transfer its license to a more lucrative location.

Senator Andy Zay (R-Huntington) filed Senate Bill 293 on Monday, a piece of legislation that would allow Full House Resorts to take its current license, which is tied to Rising Star Casino in Ohio County, serving the Greater Cincinnati area, and move it to the city of New Haven in northeast Indiana.

The Rising Star Casino Resort opened in 1996, and has been struggling since 2013, when casinos in Cincinnati began to open. 

Full House Envisions Move from Riverboat to Destination Resort

While New Haven is a small city of only about 16,000 people, it is just east of Fort Wayne, making it an attractive location for a casino.

Rising Star is a riverboat casino that stays docked in southeast Indiana. Full House Resorts is proposing a massive upgrade in New Haven, with plans for a $500 million facility that would include a five-story luxury hotel, a concert venue, and a 90,000-square foot casino, among other amenities. The firm has already options property at the intersection of US 30 and Interstate 469 to build the resort if approved. 

Under the terms of the bill, the city of New Haven would receive 25 percent of all taxes paid by the casino, while the other 75 percent would be split amongst municipalities through Indiana. At least 20 percent of total gaming revenue would also be used to lower property taxes for those filing for homestead deductions on property in the city. 

Zay introduced the bill with an effective date of July 1. However, the bill’s chances of making it through both houses of the General Assembly during this session may be limited, however, as legislators must also pass a two-year state budget which will dominate the agenda.

Developers Project Increased Revenues, Tax Benefits in New Haven 

From a business perspective, trying to move the casino is a no-brainer for Full House Resorts. The Rising Star Casino generated just $3.6 million in gaming revenue in December 2024, the lowest total of any of Indiana’s 14 casinos, and posted similar totals in recent months. In contrast, the company has touted an estimated annual gaming tax of $16.4 million a year for the proposed resort in New Haven – a vast increase over the $218,000 Rising Star paid in December.

According to Zay, moving the casino to New Haven would supplement existing entertainment venues in the region.

“We also want people to come see us and be a part of our growing community and quality of life investment up here,” Zay told Inside INdiana Business. “We have it in great jobs and great diversity of jobs, as well as entertainment options, and I think this really does nothing more than that – create another entertainment option.”

Casinos often face opposition, and the proposed construction in New Haven is no different. State Senator Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) has already come out strongly against the move, and Zay has acknowledged that the objections are understandable, even if he supports the move.

“There’s a difference of opinion, and I respect that,” Zay said, via the Journal Gazette. “I think they’re concerned about addiction. They’re concerned about crime and those things.”