The Indiana Gaming Commission can fine violators, suspend or revoke their licenses, and refer serious cases for criminal prosecution. The size of a fine depends on who committed the violation: an individual with an occupational license faces up to $5,000 per violation, a casino owner or operating agent faces up to $10,000 or one day’s gross receipts (whichever is greater) per violation, and a licensed supplier faces up to $25,000 per violation.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 4, Article 33, Chapter 4, Section 4-33-4-8 Those are the statutory ceilings. Within them, the IGC publishes a detailed fine schedule that assigns specific amounts to specific violations, escalates repeat offenses, and allows aggravating factors to multiply any scheduled fine by up to five times.
Statutory Caps by License Type
Indiana law fixes three separate maximums, and which one applies to you turns entirely on the license you hold.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 4, Article 33, Chapter 4, Section 4-33-4-8
- Occupational licensees (individual employees): up to $5,000 per violation.
- Casino owners and operating agents: up to the greater of $10,000 or the licensee’s daily gross receipts for the day the violation occurred, per violation.
- Suppliers: up to $25,000 per violation.
The daily-gross-receipts alternative is what makes the casino-owner cap unpredictable. For a property generating millions in a day, a single serious violation can theoretically expose the licensee to a fine far above $10,000. Every cap is stated “per violation,” so counting matters: a software failure that produces dozens of individual infractions in a short span can multiply the exposure quickly.
License suspension or revocation sits above all of these. The IGC can suspend or revoke any gaming license it issues, which for a casino owner means shutting down the operation and for an occupational licensee means losing the ability to work in the industry.
How the Fine Schedule Works
Within those statutory ceilings, the IGC’s fine schedule at 68 IAC 28 assigns specific dollar amounts to specific violations. The schedule distinguishes a “base violation” (a first occurrence) from a “repeat violation” (another occurrence within a rolling six-month window), and repeat violations carry higher fines.2Indiana General Assembly. Title 68, Article 28 – Fine Schedule
A few common categories give a sense of the ranges:
- Allowing a minor on the gaming floor: $1,500 base fine, $3,000 for a second offense, $4,500 for a third, and $6,000 for each additional violation within the rolling six-month period.
- Failing to withhold child support from a jackpot owed to an obligor: $5,000 per incident, with no base/repeat split.
- Child support search failures: $500 per violation once the error rate exceeds 1.5% of required searches, rising to $1,000 per violation past 2%.
Not everything on the schedule starts with a dollar figure. Some first-time violations draw a disciplinary letter rather than a fine, with money attached only if the conduct repeats.
Aggravating Factors
The IGC can increase a scheduled fine by up to five times the listed amount when it finds aggravating circumstances.2Indiana General Assembly. Title 68, Article 28 – Fine Schedule The commission does not publish a closed list of what qualifies, which leaves investigators and the board significant discretion. Patterns of management indifference, evidence of intentional concealment, and violations that directly harmed patrons are the kinds of facts that push fines upward.
Investigation Cost Recovery
On top of any fine, operators are billed for the enforcement investigation itself at $65 per investigative hour.2Indiana General Assembly. Title 68, Article 28 – Fine Schedule A complex investigation spanning weeks or months can produce a substantial bill before the penalty is even assessed. Cooperating efficiently and keeping compliance records organized reduces that number directly.
Sports Wagering Violations
The base-versus-repeat structure applies to sports wagering under IC 4-38 as well, with its own scheduled amounts. The heaviest fines are grouped around integrity of the wagering platform and reporting:2Indiana General Assembly. Title 68, Article 28 – Fine Schedule
- Geolocation failures (accepting wagers from outside Indiana): $5,000 per violation, regardless of how many bettors were affected.
- Failing to provide the commission with wagering data: $5,000 per violation.
- Using an unapproved wagering platform or device: $5,000 per violation.
- Accepting wagers on unapproved events: a disciplinary letter if the operator caught and voided the wagers before the event; $500 to the certificate holder and $500 to each other responsible licensee if it did not.
- Allowing wagers on e-sports events, which require separate approval: $1,000 to each responsible licensee.
- Unauthorized cancellation of a wager: a disciplinary letter for a first offense, $1,500 for a repeat.
The same five-times aggravating multiplier and the same $65-per-hour investigation billing apply. Geolocation and data-reporting fines deserve close attention because a single software glitch can produce dozens of individual violations in minutes, each one scheduled separately.
License Suspension, Revocation, and Collateral Consequences
Fines are only one lever. The IGC can suspend or revoke any license it issues, and for a casino owner that consequence dwarfs any dollar figure on the schedule. A business caught violating gambling statutes can also lose collateral permits: its retail merchant’s certificate, alcohol permit, tobacco sales certificate, and charity gaming license can all be affected in addition to any gaming-specific penalty.3IN.gov. Gaming Control
For individuals, a felony conviction or any gambling-related conviction results in automatic denial of an occupational license, and while some older felonies qualify for a waiver, crimes involving fraud or deception never do.4IN.gov. Occupational Licensing A revocation for a rules violation carries similar consequences: the person can no longer work in the industry.
The Gaming Control Division’s officers hold full police powers and can enforce any Indiana law, not just gambling statutes, and they can refer matters for criminal prosecution when the facts warrant it.3IN.gov. Gaming Control Charity gaming licensees fall under the same general framework under IC 4-32.3, with the commission able to suspend, revoke, or fine for violations of the statute, related criminal laws, or commission rules.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 4, Article 32.3, Chapter 8, Section 4-32.3-8-1
Federal Penalties Running Alongside State Fines
State-level fines are not the whole picture. Indiana casinos must also comply with federal Bank Secrecy Act rules, and those penalties are assessed separately by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. A casino that willfully structures transactions to avoid reporting requirements can be penalized up to the full amount of currency involved. Willful failure to maintain an anti-money laundering program triggers civil monetary penalties under 31 USC 5321, adjusted annually for inflation, and criminal sanctions under 31 USC 5322 are available for the most serious violations.6Internal Revenue Service. Bank Secrecy Act Penalties
The federal reporting triggers most likely to intersect with a state enforcement matter are the Currency Transaction Report threshold ($10,000 in cash-in or cash-out, aggregated by person per gaming day, with slot and VLT jackpots exempt) and the Suspicious Activity Report threshold ($5,000 when the casino suspects illegal source, evasion of reporting, or no apparent lawful purpose, filed within 30 days of detection or 60 if no suspect is identified).7eCFR. Part 1021 – Rules for Casinos and Card Clubs A single set of underlying facts can produce parallel state and federal proceedings.
Responding to a Notice of Violation
Once the IGC issues a notice of violation, the operator or licensee has the right to respond. Effective defenses tend to fall into three groups: showing that the alleged violation did not occur, showing that it resulted from circumstances genuinely outside the licensee’s control, and showing prompt corrective action that should mitigate the penalty. Gaming counsel matters here. The IGC’s enforcement team is experienced, and a defense built on general good intentions rarely survives close questioning.
If the commission maintains its findings, Indiana’s Administrative Orders and Procedures Act sets out the appeal path. The first step is a hearing before an administrative law judge, where both sides present evidence and testimony.8Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 4, Article 21.5, Chapter 3 – Adjudicative Proceedings The ALJ’s decision can be reviewed by the Gaming Commission’s board, and if the board still rules against the licensee, judicial review in Indiana’s courts is available. Each level adds time and legal cost, so resolving disputes at the earliest stage usually pays.
Two practical points worth keeping in mind while a case is open. First, the commission’s subpoena power reaches witnesses and records, so withholding documents is not a viable strategy.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 4, Article 33, Chapter 4, Section 4-33-4-1 Second, every hour the investigation continues is billable at $65, so the pace of the response has a direct dollar cost of its own.