New Fort Wayne First Campaign Looks to Bring Casino to Indiana City

^{The Fort Wayne First campaign is pushing support for a potential casino in Fort Wayne, Indiana, despite some opposition from the city. (Photo: Daniren / Alamy)}

Fort Wayne has begun its push to bring a casino to the northeast Indiana city, launching a website and advertising campaign to build support for the proposal. 

The effort is being led by Greater Fort Wayne Inc., the non-profit chamber of commerce organization for the city and the surrounding area.

Study Leads Fort Wayne Officials to Pursue Casino

Interest in bringing a new casino to Indiana – or relocating the Rising Star Casino license – has intensified since Spectrum Gaming Group conducting a study on the potential benefits of casinos for the state last year. That study found that Indianapolis would be the best bet for a new casino and also highlighted northeastern Indiana as a region with strong potential to drive revenue.

The new campaign, known as Fort Wayne First has focused mainly on the economic benefits that would come with a casino. 

“A casino in Allen County would mean more than just gaming to our community,” the website reads. “It would mean good paying jobs and small business partnerships. Significant tax revenue for neighborhood improvements, safety, and parks. And a boost in tourism and hospitality.”

The site also touts an “initial $500+ million investment,” and promises investment in mental health, addiction recovery services, and other responsible gaming measures. 

Many of those same arguments were made in an opinion piece by Fort Wayne residents Keith Byers and Tom Borne in The Journal Gazette on Saturday.

“Fort Wayne is growing, and this is our moment to take another bold step forward,” Byers and Borne wrote. “We can choose to let opportunities pass by, or we can choose to lead, ensuring that the benefits of this project lift our entire community. Let’s make sure it happens here, where it belongs by creating lasting benefits for the entire community.”

Opposition Says Fort Wayne Can Develop Without Casino Gaming

But as always when casino expansion is the topic of discussion, not everyone in a community is in favor of bringing gambling to a city. Opposition has quickly mobilized in Fort Wayne to respond against to the campaign, led by the Coalition for the Better Allen County.

“We certainly don’t want to bring in a corrupt organization and depend on them for economic development,” coalition representative Cathie Humbarger told 21 Alive News. “We don’t need casinos in order to expand our community, because it was rejected in Fort Wayne 15 years ago and there’s been phenomenal development in downtown Fort Wayne.”

Full House Resorts has expressed interest in moving the license for their riverboat casino to the city of New Haven, next to Fort Wayne, in an effort to revitalize their struggling operation. However, that proposal died in a State Senate committee early in 2025. 

Still, that process sparked renewed interest in bringing at least one more casino to somewhere in the state, with Indianapolis and Fort Wayne emerging as the leading contenders for a license should one be awarded.