RISING SUN, Ind. — The sprawling Grand Victoria Casino and Resort puts this old-fashioned Ohio River town's name on the map.

        Grand Victoria and its colorful dockside complex, on the north side of Rising Sun, have changed the town's attitude and appearance. What was once Ohio River lowland is now fancy buildings and parking lots and visitors with money in their pockets.

Alain Uboldi, general manager of Belterra Casino, says “if the taxes end up being doubled, I'd rather see things stay as they are.” (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        The boat offers visitors two worlds, the rural past and the gambling present, said Mayor John Roeder.

        “I don't think going dockside would affect us, wouldn't change that much here with our businesses,” he said. “It's not like they go round the clock out there. But it has allowed us to build new buildings and do some other things to change. Now, we'd like to bring more people into town.”

        Casino operators expect a state compromise on a bill before the Indiana legislature — already passed by both the House and Senate — by mid-March.

        “It would be convenient,” said Alain Uboldi, general manager of Belterra Casino in Vevay, of dockside operations.

        “But if the taxes end up being doubled, I'd rather see things stay as they are. Nobody knows how the legislature will work this thing out. Grand Victoria and us might not benefit as much as Argosy in Lawrenceburg, because it's closer to Cincinnati. But everyone would benefit from the new law to a degree.”

        When a similar thing happened with casinos in the Quad Cities (Iowa and Illinois) on the Mississippi River, the main change was for the customers.

        “Since we went dockside about 1993, there haven't been any lines,” said Gwen Tombergs, spokeswoman for Rhythm City Casino in Davenport, Iowa. “We still sail 100 days a year, though.”

        So the biggest impact would be not on the towns themselves but on the tens of thousands of visitors to Grand Victoria, Belterra Casino in Vevay and Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg.

        In a word: convenience.

        Most likely, visitors wouldn't have to wait in line to board Indiana's gambling boats. Belterra offers more than 1,300 slot machines and 57 gaming tables; Argosy, more than 2,000 slot machines and 100 gaming tables; and Grand Victoria, more than 1,500 slots and 80 gaming tables.

        Southern Indiana casino boat operators generally favor dockside operations, but they're waiting to voice support for such a bill until they can learn how much their taxes will increase.

        “Whether it will help the town that much, who knows?” said Julie Billingsley, who works at Col. Pepper's, a restaurant in a historic building in downtown Rising Sun. “I think it will be good for the boat's customers, but it won't make much difference to the town's businesses.”

        When Grand Victoria opened about five years ago, it attracted visitors to the 19th-century downtown. But soon they stopped coming, said Col. Pepper's manager, Kim Pursifull.

        “The boat doesn't promote the downtown businesses at all,” she said. “But then, why should it?”

        Southeastern Indiana's local governments have benefitted from both a $3-per-person state admissions tax and a 20 percent wagering tax levied on the casinos' adjusted gross receipts (winnings before the casino pays salaries, taxes and other expenses).

        The host city and host county get $1 each, with 10 cents going to local tourism agencies and the rest going to state mental health, racing and fair agencies. Twenty-five percent of the wagering tax goes to a casino's host city (or host county, if it's not in an incorporated area). The rest goes to a state fund that's been used to do things such as convert the state's public television stations to digital broadcasting.

        State legislators are considering two major bills that would affect gambling boat operations. One bill, passed by the Indiana House of Representatives last month, must go to a joint Senate-House conference committee. A compromise will have to be worked out between the Republican-controlled Senate and the Democrats in the House. Then the final bill must be signed by the governor.

        Until then, many things could change.

        Indiana boat operators say they recognize the convenience of the proposed dockside law, which might eliminate lines of waiting customers, who can now board only on every other hour.

        The wait annoys Earl Adams, a retired Rising Sun resident who comes to Grand Victoria.

        “I'd like the dockside operation much better,” he said. “That way, I wouldn't have to wait. I could come down here at any time when I visit once a month.”

        Another visitor, Shirley Ferguson of Greenhills, Ohio, agreed.

        “We can't always make it on time, with the drive and all,” she said. “Dockside is a good idea.”

        Harold Thomas of Columbus put it best: “I just hate to wait around for anything, especially to gamble.”

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