The unemployment program in Indiana has dried up over the past couple of years, and lawmakers have been unable to sustain
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry has been a proponent of a casino referendum, and he has supported lobbyists who are pushing for the referendum, until this past week. Henry claims that he no longer can continue to fund the effort to bring a casino to Fort Wayne.
State lawmakers have twice denied to have the referendum placed on the ballot. The effort has already cost over $180,000 in lobbying costs, and at that rate, the money spent was unsustainable. Lawmakers at the state were happy to see the plan aborted.
"The mayor has finally come to the conclusion. That was pretty clear from last year," said Senator David Long, "I don't blame him for pursuing something that he wanted to get done, if he really felt that passionate about it. But you know, I think he's been told unequivocally that this is just not going to happen, and for Fort Wayne, it's not a good fit."
The decision comes at a time when legislators in the state will begin the new session with the issue of the Indiana Unemployment Fund looming. The program needs a boost of new money, and the plan lawmakers are working on could have the program back to being fully funded by 2020.
States across the US have used casino gambling to help bridge budget deficits. Henry felt that Fort Wayne would have been an ideal area of Indiana for casino expansion, but state lawmakers did not give much consideration to the idea. There is still a chance the referendum lobbying could be funded from private groups in the future.
January 3, 2011
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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