New Developments (11/5/03)

Orange County voters approve casino: By a wide margin, Orange County residents voted to approve a casino in their community.

The lopsided 5,127-to-2,642 vote in favor of a casino, which many residents hope will bring jobs and tourism to the economically depressed area, ended a 10-year battle over the issue.

In April, the Indiana General Assembly passed a bill authorizing the operation of a casino in Orange County, but only if county residents consented to the idea.

Indiana’s original law governing riverboat gaming in the state allowed for a casino on Patoka Lake in Orange County, but the Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the lake, refused to allow a casino to operate there, citing environmental concerns.

House Bill 1902, the measure passed in April, deleted authorization for a riverboat operation on the lake and instead authorized the Indiana Gaming Commission to enter into a contract with an operating agent to operate, on the commission’s behalf, a riverboat in a newly established historic hotel district in Orange County.

The casino is to be located on a man-made body of water between the West Baden Springs Hotel and the French Lick Resort & Spa, the area’s two historic hotels.

The Indiana Gaming Commission must choose one of five applicants for the contract to operate the Orange County casino.