Indiana Casino Referendum: Allen, DeKalb and Steuben Counties Vote 3 November on One New License

Allen, DeKalb and Steuben County voters decide on 3 November whether Indiana can award one new inland casino license under HB 1038.

Jerome McNamaraSenior Reporter

Published 2 November 20264 min read

Voters in Allen, DeKalb and Steuben counties in northeast Indiana decide on 3 November 2026, in an Indiana casino referendum, whether their county may host the one new inland casino license the state will award under House Bill 1038.

The question appears as Public Question No. 3, near the end of the ballot in all three counties. It reads: "Shall inland casino gambling be permitted in (name of county)?" A county that votes no is out of the running. A yes vote only makes it eligible, because the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC), the state's casino regulator, can still turn down every application.

What House Bill 1038 changes

House Bill 1038 (HB 1038) became Public Law 77, with LegiScan listing the action on 4 March 2026. It amends Indiana Code chapters 4-31 and 4-33 and adds a new chapter, IC 4-33-6.8. The law lets the IGC award a new owner's license for an inland casino in Allen, DeKalb or Steuben County. No city is named. Rep. Craig Snow, a Republican from Winona Lake, is the House sponsor.

The bill changed substantially on its way through the legislature. The House passed it 67-30 on 2 February 2026 as a plan to relocate the Rising Star license from Rising Sun in Ohio County, with Allen, DeKalb, Steuben and Wayne counties eligible. The Senate added the county referendum requirement and passed the bill narrowly on 24 February after objections that it lacked a local vote, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The House concurred and Gov. Mike Braun signed it. Wayne County was dropped from the final version.

The IGC's October 2025 study ranked Indianapolis first for a casino relocation and northeast Indiana second, the Capital Chronicle reported.

Licence terms and costs

The license carries a heavy up-front commitment. The table below sets out the main terms.

Term	Requirement
Minimum investment	At least $500 million in a casino and non-gaming amenities
Initial-phase spending	At least 60% within two years of the license award
Completion	Remainder and full build-out within five years of gaming starting
State fee	$150 million: $100 million to the general fund, $50 million to a new shuttered riverboat fund
Fee schedule	Five equal annual payments, the first within 30 days of approval
Game cap	1,500 gambling games, matching the Vigo County casino

The shuttered riverboat fund is meant to help local units of government affected by the closure of a riverboat or inland casino. The licensee must also operate within the one-license limit: the IGC may approve only one application statewide.

Timeline after the vote

A yes result in at least one county starts a short application window.

Date	Step
3 November 2026	Public Question No. 3 on the ballot in all three counties
1 December 2026	Applications due to the IGC
15 January 2027	IGC must publish the applications and a summary
15 April 2027	IGC must issue its final decision with written findings

If voters in more than one county approve, applicants choose which county to propose. The commission can approve one application or none. Counties that vote no are shut out, and WOWO reports that current law bars another public question on the issue in that county under the present process.

How each county got here

Each county moved the question onto the ballot before the statutory certification deadline of noon on 1 August 2026. Steuben County commissioners voted 3-0 in early May to approve it, according to WPTA 21Alive. The Steuben and Allen election boards acted earlier that month, and the DeKalb election board later certified the question, CDC Gaming Reports said.

Campaigns are active on both sides. "Yes for Allen" is backed by Advance Fort Wayne Allen County, while the "No casiNO" campaign comes from the Coalition for a Better Indiana, the Capital Chronicle reported on 14 October. Casino.org cited a study estimating that a Steuben County casino could produce $188.6 million to $214 million a year in gross gaming revenue.

Why operators are watching

The vote is a local-approval test of the kind seen elsewhere in US casino expansion. Gamingo has tracked similar ballot-driven decisions, including the Petersburg vote on a $1.4 billion casino project and the Texas election that could decide whether Texans get a vote on casinos and sports betting. In Indiana, brick-and-mortar expansion has advanced while online casino proposals have stalled: see earlier coverage of when Indiana halted its online casino and lottery bill and the earlier iGaming bill push.

For prospective applicants, the practical points are the $500 million commitment, the $150 million fee paid over five years, and a 1 December filing deadline that leaves about four weeks after the vote. Results will be known after polls close on 3 November.

Status reviewed on 2 November 2026. Key figures come from the Indiana General Assembly bill text, LegiScan, and reporting by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, WOWO, WPTA 21Alive and CDC Gaming Reports. More legislation news and North America coverage.

Frequently asked questions

What are Indiana voters deciding on 3 November 2026?

Voters in Allen, DeKalb and Steuben counties answer Public Question No. 3, which asks whether inland casino gambling should be permitted in their county. A yes vote makes the county eligible for the one new casino license the Indiana Gaming Commission may award under House Bill 1038.

How many new casino licenses can Indiana award under HB 1038?

One. The Indiana Gaming Commission may approve only a single application and may deny all of them. If more than one county votes yes, applicants choose which approving county to propose, so the ballot does not create one license per county.

How much must a new Indiana inland casino invest?

Applicants must commit at least $500 million to a casino and non-gaming amenities. At least 60% of the initial-phase amount is due within two years of the license award. The rest, and completion of the project, is due within five years of gaming starting.

When will Indiana decide who gets the new casino license?

If a county approves, applications are due to the Indiana Gaming Commission by 1 December 2026. The commission must publish them with a summary by 15 January 2027 and issue a final decision with written findings by 15 April 2027.

What fee does the new Indiana casino license carry?

The approved applicant pays $150 million. Of that, $100 million goes to the state general fund and $50 million to a new shuttered riverboat fund for local units hurt by a riverboat or inland casino closure. Payment comes in five equal annual installments, the first within 30 days of approval.