Phil Sicuso and Joe Champion, a pair of gambling-industry lawyers, both believe that the Indianapolis International Airport is a prime place to set up wireless gambling technology that allows travelers over age 21 to play games on handheld devices that are connected to a central server.
It sounds like a neat idea, especially since it could generate more revenue that the airport can use to support more non-stop flights.
The problem is, the idea, as good as it sounds, isn’t likely to get any traction from state legislators who are already leery of expanding any form of gambling in the state despite neighboring states boasting of new casinos. Legislators’ apprehension towards expanded gambling came into full view last year when it rejected a move to bring riverboat casinos and set them up in land-based facilities.
If that motion was denied, what are the chances airport gambling can get state approval? Highly unlikely, if you ask us.
Even Indianapolis Airport Authority President Mike Wells believes the idea, though “clever”, doesn’t stand much of a chance of seeing the light of day should it be presented to state legislators. Wells also pointed that even if Sicuso and Champion’s idea were to somehow get the attention of the state, lawmakers wouldn’t let the revenue from these mobile gambling devices to go exclusively to the airport.
And if there’s a cautionary tale to how ideas like this, while sound on paper, are far more difficult to implement, look no further than the catastrophic failure of Minnesota’s electronic pulltab devices, which was supposed to generate enough revenue to fund the state’s share of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium. But those devices have underperformed massively, and are no closer to helping fund the stadium than it is capable of even funding a lemonade stand on a weekend.
Make no mistake: the proposal has its merits, but ultimately it won’t have that much appeal that can convince lawmakers give it the thumbs up.
