BY: TOM DAVIES INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE

Indiana legislators are talking about possibly banning one form of internet gambling while also giving the Hoosier Lottery permission to sell tickets online.

The House Public Policy Committee endorsed a bill on Tuesday allowing online lottery sales, a move sought for years by state lottery officials as a way to boost revenues.

Another proposal under discussion by the committee would prohibit so-called online “sweepstakes” games where players can win money from simulated casino games.

Hoosier Lottery’s online push

Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan are among 18 states currently with online lottery sales, said Jared Bond, the Hoosier Lottery’s external affairs director.

“When the Hoosier Lottery was created in 1989 … there was really only one way to buy a lottery ticket,” Bond said. “You walked into a retailer with cash, but today Hoosiers utilize their mobile devices for all kinds of different things, like banking and to shop.”

Online lottery sales likely wouldn’t start until the summer of 2027 as lottery officials hire the needed vendors and set up measures to confirm app users are at least 18 years and are within the state lines when making purchases.

Committee members voted 9-3 to advance House Bill 1078 to the full House for consideration, as some members objected to the bill not including provisions allowing the state’s casinos to offer online games.

The committee last year endorsed a bill for both online lottery and casino games, but it didn’t reach the full House for a vote amid concerns that internet gambling would draw business away from physical casinos and risk greater gambling addiction.

“I strongly feel that i-gaming and i-lottery should be hand in hand, and we’re picking winners and losers,” said Rep. Cory Criswell, R-Middletown. “I don’t think that’s the way it should work.”

An analysis prepared by the Legislative Services Agency projects that online sales would boost the Hoosier Lottery’s revenues by between $314 million and $629 million in the third year. That would increase the lottery’s annual profits — $340 million for fiscal year 2025 — by between $31 million and $94 million in the third year.

The lottery’s sales have been flat at around $1.7 billion for the past five years.

Lisa Hutcheson, the vice president for prevention and policy at Mental Health America of Indiana, warned committee members about rising gambling addiction among young men with the proliferation of sports wagering.

Hutcheson said online gambling such as i-lottery “removes many of the physical safeguards that exist in brick-and-mortar facilities.”

“Online gambling heightens those risks through constant access, targeted advertising, secrecy and the perception of quick financial gain,” she said.

If given approval for online sales, the Hoosier Lottery could sell tickets for instant games and jackpot drawings such as Powerball and MegaMillions via the internet and host online instant games on its website.

“Sweepstakes” ban considered

A separate proposal under discussion would prohibit any online “sweepstakes” game that “simulates casino-style gaming, including slot machines, video poker, table games, lottery games, bingo, and sports wagering.”

Such games are not specifically covered by Indiana law, so the state Gaming Commission doesn’t have authority to set rules or monitor them, said Natalie Huffman, the commission’s general counsel.

Other than sports wagering, Indiana’s 13 state-regulated casinos are not allowed to offer online gambling.

The sweepstakes games, however, have gained an estimated 200,000 players in Indiana, said Sean Ostrow of the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, an industry lobbying group.

Rep. Ethan Manning, chair of the Public Policy Committee, said he supported legalizing i-gaming by the casinos but is sponsoring House Bill 1052 that includes the ban on sweepstakes games.

“People are going to sweeps because that’s what’s available right now, even though it’s a black or gray market, depending on your perspective,” said Manning, R-Logansport. “But if i-gaming were legal here … there wouldn’t be much market for the sweeps casinos.”

Huffman said eight states had banned such games and that Indiana was among nine states currently considering doing so.

Representatives of companies providing sweepstakes games told the committee that no states were regulating the games so far.

They said they were open to discussions about state oversight and taxation, arguing that a ban would push out responsible companies that try to ensure only those older than 21 play the games and work to prevent fraud and money laundering activities.

“If this bill passes and legitimate companies like us are forced to exit, consumer demand will still remain and our players will simply drift to those offshore sites that have no compunction about operating illegally, allowing minors to participate and not paying out legitimate prizes,” said Dan Marks, chief financial office of Miami-based ARB Interactive.

The committee did not vote on the bill Tuesday, with Manning saying he expected to bring it back for further action in the next couple of weeks.

FRENCH LICK, Indiana  — Another historic building at French Lick Resort is coming back to life in a modern-day revival.

The Billiard and Bowling Pavilion — located just a short walk from West Baden Springs Hotel in the hotel gardens — is opening its doors to guests for the first time in more than 90 years. With six bowling lanes along with pool tables and a new pizzeria, French Lick Resort’s newest attraction opens Tuesday, January 13. A grand reopening ceremony will be held at a later date.

This is the only building on French Lick Resort grounds that had not undergone a modern
renovation — until now. The original Billiard and Bowling Pavilion opened Christmas Day of 1917, and guests came here for fun and games until the nearby West Baden Springs Hotel closed its doors to guests in the early 1930s following the Great Depression. This refurbished recreation hall is now open to guests of all French Lick Resort hotels, as well as the public.

“To bring back another building that had not been in service for almost a century is a real treat we’re excited to offer our guests,” said Chuck Franz, CEO of French Lick Resort. “And, we’re bringing it back pretty close to what it was like 100 years ago with six lanes for bowling and the billiard tables in the front section of the building. Just like the restoration of the West Baden Springs Hotel dome, we relied on historical pictures to bring it back to the life that it had more than a century ago. We wanted to keep it as historically accurate as possible.”

Lighting fixtures that hang from the ceiling above the lanes closely mimic those of the original pavilion. Another original feature is the pair of limestone Tuscan columns, which separate the bowling portion of the building from the billiard area. All the windows on the sides of the building were kept to fill the interior with natural light.

Renovating this structure has been years in the making.

Before any work was done inside, a flood control system was added with pumps to steer away excessive water and gates to protect the building. The interior had been neglected for possibly more than 50 years since the days when Northwood Institute, a private college, inhabited the property prior to the renovation of West Baden Springs Hotel in the mid-2000s.

The east wing of the pavilion had been torn down at some point in history, but that section of the building has been rebuilt and now houses the new Sprudel’s Pizzeria, which will serve up a variety of artisan pizzas, sandwiches and salads plus Prohibition-era specialty cocktails. With bowling and billiards open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday, Franz foresees this as the resort’s newest late-night hangout.

“When our nighttime events close over at West Baden Springs Hotel, guests can venture over to the Billiard and Bowling Pavilion and continue their evening later into the night,” he said.

Additionally, the Billiard and Bowling Pavilion can be booked for group functions for those wanting indoor recreation plus outdoor use with terrific views.

“We’ve tailored the exterior of the Billiard and Bowling Pavilion for group activities, so that on beautiful fall, spring or summer days, guests can move outdoors and enjoy great views of the hotel and gardens,” Franz said.

New Home Repair & Care program will help eligible customers sustainably reduce heating and cooling use   

  New effort backed by CenterPoint Energy Foundation’s $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund 

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Jan. 13, 2026 – The CenterPoint Energy Foundation today announced its collaboration with Community One, a local nonprofit, and the launch of the Home Repair & Care program. Backed by the Foundation’s previously announced $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund, the program will help eligible homeowners in southwestern Indiana make home repairs and energy efficiency improvements that help reduce energy waste and save money over time.   

Home Repair & Care focuses on addressing underlying home repair issues that can drive higher heating and cooling energy use and make efficiency upgrades difficult or ineffective.   

“This program continues our focus on affordability initiatives. Through our new Home Repair & Care program, we will help families and homeowners take important steps to reduce energy waste and save money on future bills through reduced consumption,” said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Indiana. 

“Community One has a long history of working alongside neighbors to restore homes and revitalize neighborhoods. Through the CenterPoint Energy Foundation’s Home Repair & Care, we’re glad to expand that work so more homeowners can tackle major repair needs and keep their homes safer, more stable and more energy efficient,” said Jessica Welcher, Executive Director of Community One. 

Home Repair & Care program details 

The new program will help eligible homeowners make critical repairs to help reduce energy waste and improve efficiency, including:  

·         Repairing or replacing roofs, windows, exterior doors and siding; 

·         Repairing or replacing heating and cooling units and water heaters; and  

·         Providing insulation and other building “envelope” improvements. 

By addressing major repair needs that contribute to heating and cooling loss, the program helps homes use energy more efficiently during periods of extreme heat and cold, when energy use and bills are often highest. 

Reaching households that often fall between existing programs 

Home Repair & Care is designed to support homeowners who often fall between existing energy efficiency and assistance programs. Customers who meet income guidelines can already receive no-cost efficiency upgrades and weatherization services through existing programs. Home Repair & Care is intended for homeowners whose incomes are above those limits but who still face large, one-time repair costs that remain a barrier to safer, more efficient homes and lower energy use. For example, a family of four earning between $64,301 and $128,600 may qualify for Home Care & Repair. 

Working with Community One, the initiative will focus on homeowners who own their home as a primary residence within CenterPoint’s southwestern Indiana service area. The program is not an emergency repair service and will prioritize projects that deliver long-term improvements in safety, comfort and energy performance. After repairs are completed, participating homeowners can be referred into CenterPoint’s existing energy efficiency offerings, such as Home Energy Assessments and rebates for high-efficiency equipment, to support additional energy savings and comfort over the long term. 

How to learn more and apply 

Program details, including eligibility information and how to apply, are available at homerepairandcare.org.  

Home Repair & Care is the first initiative to launch under the Community Energy Improvement Fund. The CenterPoint Energy Foundation will continue to identify opportunities to support customers and southwestern Indiana communities and share more information as future phases of the Fund move forward. 

Commitment to the community: series of affordability actions 

The launch of the new Home Repair & Care program is another milestone in CenterPoint’s recent Community Affordability Actions, and follows feedback gathered from initial round of Community Connect events in Evansville, Mount Vernon, Newburgh and Rockport. As part of its affordability actions, CenterPoint has also submitted an enhanced 2025 Integrated Resource Plan to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that limits near-term rate impacts, uses existing and previously approved generation resources to reduce bill impacts, defers certain higher-cost projects, while also taking steps to support future economic growth as well as prioritizing customer affordability. 

Attorney General Todd Rokita is reminding Hoosiers to start the new year right — by searching IndianaUnclaimed.gov for money that’s rightfully yours but sitting forgotten in a government account.

“Searching a name in our database takes literally just a few seconds, and you can do it easily on your phone,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Each year, thousands of Hoosiers are surprised to learn they have money just waiting for them to claim. Everyone owes it themselves to do a quick check.”

Unclaimed property is real cash from forgotten wages, old bank accounts, safe-deposit boxes, refunds and more.

In 2025, Attorney General Rokita ’s Unclaimed Property team shattered its 2023 record by returning more than $88 million.

So, head to IndianaUnclaimed.gov or text CLAIM to 46220. It’s fast, free, secure and easy.