INDIANAPOLIS — The leaders of the Statehouse’s dual Republican supermajorities have been clear: after recent gambling industry scandals involving former lawmakers, next year’s legislative session will include no expansion.
That’s prompted a divided response over what to do. It’s a chance for reform, some government transparency advocates say. But industry leaders, experts, and regulators have warned against knee-jerk reactions.
The gambling industry and advocates have for several years wanted to legalize i-gaming, but that timeline may now be years longer than previously expected.
Former Rep. Sean Eberhart, a Republican from Shelbyville, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal felony charge: conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
Federal prosecutors have accused him of pushing Spectacle Entertainment’s desire to relocate two casinos through a 2019 bill, in exchange for a job paying upwards of $350,000 and an equity stake. Eberhart retired in 2022 after 16 years in office, to fanfare.
And last year, a federal judge sentenced former Sen. Brent Waltz and former Rep. John Keeler — a casino executive — to prison for election finance schemes involving Spectacle predecessor New Centaur. Waltz has since filed to overturn his sentence, reports Fox59.
There are additional records of other dubious industry-lawmaker interactions, according to a list from the Indianapolis Star.
GOP Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said Eberhart’s case “taints the Statehouse” and harms public confidence in lawmakers’ integrity at a legislative preview this month. He said there’d be no expansion during the upcoming session, and indicated the case could limit action for several more sessions.
The recent scandals show Indiana’s lobbying and campaign finance regulatory processes are a “complete failure,” said Julia Vaughn, leader of government watchdog Common Cause Indiana. “No state agency even recognized what was going on. … Thank goodness that the (Federal Bureau of Investigation) was paying attention.”
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