In the game: more bets for close-to-home casino entertainment.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: TOURISM

THE ECONOMY MAY BE slowing, but in Indiana's gaming industry, the slots are spinning as fast as they ever have. Last year, Indiana's casino boats recorded 27.5 million admissions, and their $2.7 billion in total adjusted gross revenues were ahead of Illinois and Missouri and only slightly behind Mississippi's $2.8 billion, even though that state operates more than twice the number of boats and twice the boat-based gaming space.

Options for Hoosiers in search of close-to-home casino entertainment continue to grow, too, beyond the state's waterways and onto dry land. The newest development opened this month in Anderson, where the Hoosier Park pari-mutuel horse track added a host of casino attractions. Casino gaming is on-tap 24/7 at 2,000 slot machines and electronic table games, with denominations ranging from a penny to a hundred dollars.

What sets the new Hoosier Park casino apart? Among other things, spaciousness and a feel that general manager Jim Brown says screams Las Vegas. "We got a lot of Las Vegas comments" from the first patrons, he says--some 10,000 walked through the doors on opening day this month.

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But there's also the option to enjoy both casino gaming and horse racing without moving the car--something that can't be done in very many places in the Midwest. "We truly have integrated the facilities, and it's easy to pass from the casino to the race track and back," Brown says.

In fact, it's not even legal to operate a facility like this in most states, with exceptions including Iowa, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Florida. But because these dual-use venues are now legal in Indiana, it's no surprise that casino gaming also is under way at the state's other pari-mutuel track, Indiana Downs in Shelbyville.

At Indiana Downs, a 233,000-square-foot complex is in the works, with a temporary casino filling in the gap until the permanent facility is done next year. Here, too, the gaming plan includes 2,000 machines, with electronic versions of table games. A host of restaurant and bar options will fill out the new facility.

There's plenty of action at the state's 11 boat-based casinos, too. Following are some of the details.

Argosy Hotel & Casino

777 Argosy Parkway, Lawrenceburg

888/ARGOSY-7

This casino, opened in 1996, is a big draw for residents of nearby Cincinnati. In its 78,000 square feet of gaming space are more than 2,400 electronic gaming machines and nearly 90 table games. There's room for almost 4,000 guests...