Northeast Indiana Voters Reject Casino Plans in Three-County Vote

Allen County residents cast 61,310 votes against the casino proposal, a margin that secured the defeat of the measure in the largest of the three affected areas. Final unofficial results showed 41,625 votes in favor, meaning 59.6% of voters denied the request. This outcome joins similar results in DeKalb and Steuben counties, where the measure also failed to gain majority support.

The ballot item, labeled Public Question No. 3, asked voters in each county whether to permit inland casino gambling. The question arose because Indiana lawmakers passed House Bill 1038 in February. That legislation authorized the creation of a casino in one of these three counties but required a public referendum for approval in each jurisdiction. Since voters in all three regions rejected the plan, the Indiana Gaming Commission can no longer award a license to developers in those areas.

The law contains a provision that prevents a second public question on the same matter from being held in counties that initially vote against the measure. This effectively closes the door on near-term casino development in the region. Campaigns on both sides mobilized for months before the election, with proponents arguing for economic benefits and opponents citing social risks.

Supporters, including Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker and all three members of the Allen County Board of Commissioners, had lobbied state lawmakers in December. The Vote Yes for Allen campaign, a political action committee, argued the project would create thousands of jobs and generate revenue without raising taxes. It cited a study by CBRE Group, Inc., which estimated the casino would create more than 2,000 permanent jobs and require about 5,500 construction positions.

However, the same CBRE study noted that only about 950 workers would be directly employed in Allen County, with just under 2,500 of the construction jobs located in the area. Opponents used these figures to challenge the economic claims. Save Northeast Indiana, a coalition of residents and business owners, pointed out that the total job counts included indirect positions and did not account for jobs lost at local businesses as residents shifted their spending.

Cathie Humbarger, a representative with Coalition for a Better Allen County, expressed concern about relying on a large corporation for economic development. She stated that the community has a responsibility to protect those with a tendency toward gaming addiction. The coalition also cited an economic impact report from Kenosha County, Wisconsin, which found that violent crime in South Bend, Indiana, rose in the first two years after the Four Winds casino opened there.

The defeat in Allen County follows votes in DeKalb County, where 64.6% of voters rejected the measure, and Steuben County, where 58.7% voted against it. With all three counties saying no, the immediate path to building a casino in northeast Indiana has been blocked by the voters themselves.