I-Team 8 - The State of Gambling

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Gamblers who like to play the penny slots at casinos are pinching those pennies instead. Casinos say the recession hit them hard last year, but new data indicates one segment of gambling is on the upswing.

Hoosier Park now combines both racing and a casino; some call it a racino.

"People still need to be able to have a good time, enjoy themselves and it does help the city of Anderson," said Aimee Snell, Hoosier Park Racing and Casino.

Numbers revealed by the American Gaming Association Monday show gambling revenue across the country were down 4.7% last year: Casinos still took in more than $32 billion. But revenue at racinos was up more than 17%. Both Hoosier Park and Indiana Live opened their racinos last summer.

"I don't think we'll have a long downward spiral," said Mike Smith.

Casino insiders say Indiana needs to maintain a competitive advantage over neighboring states.

Smith said, "Because Kentucky will get gaming and Ohio will get gaming. If we can maintain that advantage and develop our properties into entertainment locations and continue to recreate the experience and make it a little bit better continuously years down the road, I think we have a very bright future; we're a fairly young industry. "

And more remote locations like French Lick have to work harder too.

"Everybody else hangs their hat on being a casino, we hang our hat on being a resort that has helped us weather the storm better than most," said Mark Bommartio, French Lick Resort.

Often touted as recession-proof, casinos will weather that storm as long as gamblers keep gambling and the house keeps winning.
Indiana's two new racinos created the most jobs for that sector across the country last year more than 1400 new jobs.

That means Indiana's casinos now employ more than 16,000 people. It's Indiana's second biggest private employer, trailing only Wal-Mart.