The legalization of sports betting in Northwest Indiana is a brand new opportunity for the Chicago gamblers, but also for the local economy and for the treasury that will charge additional taxes.
The official ribbon cutting was last Wednesday at the opening of the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.
Tom McDermott, Mayor of Hammond, placed the first bet of $100 that the Bears will make it to the Super Bowl. The mayor is convinced that he has taken a good step with this opening that he hopes will generate dozens of jobs and bring more income to the community.
From now on, Chicago players do not have to travel to Las Vegas or any other place of games and betting, because they will have fun at home. The opening of the venue coincided with the match between the eternal rivals: the Bears and the Packers.
In this regard, Dan Nita of Ceasars Entertainment said:
“We purposely got the sportsbook open 24 hours before the marquee game of the NFL season”.
Behind the Hammond Horseshoe Casino is Caesars Entertainment. The company bets on the success of the gleaming sports betting house. There is lots of fun and excitement offered with a betting package in 19 different sports. There is everything from football – NFL, and basketball – ANB, to boxing, professional golf and cricket.
The former Chicago Bear player, Matt Forte, helped the mayor in organizing the celebration on the occasion of the legalization of sports betting and said:
“I’m not a gambling man myself. I usually only bet on myself because I know me the best”.
This does not mean that there will be no criticism. Not everyone wants to bet. Some people in Hammond do not sympathize with the idea of installing a sports bookmaker and have expressed their rejection of the flourishing project. Among the critics is Anita Bedell who pointed out about the casino’s opening:
“The younger people, they don’t like slot machines but they do like sports. Young men who do not go to casinos they will be attracted because of the sports element.”
Convert illegal bets into legal bets
The market of illegal bets in the United States is very wide and it is estimated that around 150,000 million dollars per year are put into play. According to expert opinion, the opening of Hammond’s casino could capture several of these millions of dollars in legal bets for Indiana.
The state currently has 12 casino halls and 3 other betting sites off the court, where bets are expected to begin very soon.
In addition to Indiana, there are other states in the United States that want to pass legislation to legalize sports betting. Such is the case of Illinois and Iowa. Soon the Illinois Gambling Commission will publish a betting regulation on which it currently works, which will be available for public comment.
In addition to criticism, another problem facing bookmakers is the current Chicago tax structure. The mayor of the city, Lori Lightfoot referred to the issue and showed her skepticism about the future of the Chicago casino under such a rigid fiscal agreement. She hopes that these problems can find a quick solution in less than the legislature.
