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Indiana to Cancel Casino Resolution Due to Continous Investigation
March 8, 2020 TamaraTam
A new casino project for Terre Haute, Indiana has been planned for a while, however, the project will have to wait some time due to an ongoing investigation.
Spectacle Entertainment is looking to open the third casino in the state but someone from the company reportedly didn’t follow the rules and now the case goes under detailed investigation.
More About Delay
The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) has recently decided to cancel a licensing hearing and hired a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent to help with the review. According to the info from media outlet Tribune-Star, the project will have to wait about two or three months.
The reason for the investigation is centered on a political consultant Charles O’Neill, who pleaded guilty to providing illegal corporate contributions to one of the congressional candidates. It is still not clear who has been involved in the scandal but some reports lead to Rod Ratcliff, the founder of Centaur Gaming. It is also worth mentioning that Centaur would lead to the development of Spectacle through the of Indiana businessman Greg Gibson.
What Was Announced
Following the ongoing investigation, IGC’s deputy director, Jenny Reske mentioned:
“The Indiana Gaming Commission is performing a review of the matter — and while I cannot disclose much of what is being investigated — I can say the Commission has retained an outside consultant to help us understand exactly what the documents we’ve received from Virginia mean and what the implications of some of that information could be.”
Commenting on IGC limited possibility to share investigation related information, Reske added:
“We don’t have the legal jurisdiction or resources to conduct an investigation into a violation of federal law. So we’ll be closely watching any developments that occur and consulting with Walt Stowe, a former FBI agent, to determine the appropriate next steps.”
Expectations
The decision about the third license of Spectacle will be familiar until May when the Commission scheduled the next meeting. The final word could be given in June or some time later.
Reske concluded:
“I don’t think we’re outside a reasonable time period for awarding the Terre Haute license. When we were looking at having a February meeting to make a decision, we were working on a very expedited time line [sic] because we were working with one known applicant. That initial timeline may have given the impression that any longer timeline might not be acceptable, but really a normal casino application timeline would take several months.”
Meanwhile, the Indiana Gaming Commission is looking to award the license to the operator which will meet all regulatory requirements and fiduciary responsibilities. That’s why the decision will take time…
Source:
“Indiana forced to delay casino decision due to ongoing investigation“, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, February 27, 2020.
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Indiana is an excellent casino destination. I think that Spectacle will soon receive another recognition and offer players one of a kind experience…