Indiana Includes Tribal Casino In Responsible Gambling Program

By | Updated on 21 October, 2021

Brian served as a senior reporter and online content manager for Card Player Magazine for nearly a decade before joining USBets in October 2018. He is currently focused on legal and regulated sports betting and online gaming. He's an avid jiu-jitsu practitioner in his free time.

On Thursday, the Indiana Gaming Commission announced a positive change to its voluntary exclusion program (VEP): Under a new arrangement with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the state’s VEP program will include the tribe’s Four Winds South Bend Casino, which opened in January.

This means that people with gambling issues will be barred from that casino, in addition to all commercial properties. If the tribal casino wasn’t included in the program like all of the state’s commercial casinos, it would be a hole that those with a gambling addiction could be susceptible to falling into.

“Effective August 5, 2021, the Voluntary Exclusion Program and the Statewide Exclusion List maintained by the Indiana Gaming Commission will also apply to the Four Winds South Bend casino pursuant to a compact between The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the state of Indiana,” the brief notice that came out Thursday stated.

Statistics on the program

According to the latest figures from the IGC, the VEP list has 5,960 active members, with 3,796 inactive members. The age group with the largest percentage of active members is 56-60, which accounts for 12.77% of the total.

Among state residents included in the program, Indiana leads with 39.29% of the total, followed closely by Illinois with 35.60%. Kentucky residents comprise 10.7% of the total, with Ohio close behind at 10.41%. Men comprise 57.22% of the list.

In terms of self-imposed penalties, 39.11% of VEP participants elected to subject themselves to one-year bans based on their problematic behavior, while 35.62% opted for a lifetime ban and 25.27% chose a five-year ban.

As far as casinos go in terms of registration for the VEP, here’s the breakdown:

  • Horseshoe: 17.93%
  • Ameristar: 14.38%
  • Hard Rock Northern Indiana: 13.92%
  • Hollywood Casino: 11.82%
  • Hoosier Park: 8.08%
  • Horseshoe South: 7.25%
  • Indiana Grand:  6.51%
  • Blue Chip: 6.03%
  • Belterra: 3.46%
  • Tropicana: 3.23%
  • Rising Star: 3.13%
  • French Lick: 2.11%

Future reports will include the Four Winds casino, per the new arrangement.