Occupational Licensing

General Information

Casinos, Suppliers, and Sports Wagering Vendors (SWVs) employ over 12,000 individuals licensed by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

The Commission does not offer a statewide license. Instead, the Commission issues Occupational Licenses at each Casino, Supplier, and/or SWV. To apply for an Indiana Occupational License, an individual must first have an offer of employment from an Indiana Casino, Supplier, or SWV. Occupational Licenses are not transferable to other licensed gaming entities.

Application Process

As part of the hiring process, the human resources personnel at the licensed gaming entity will provide a prospective employee with the appropriate license application depending on the position being filled. The Applicant should complete the application and provide any supporting documentation. A copy of the Applicant’s birth certificate or accepted alternate document must be provided with the application. The Applicant is also required to submit documentation of their military service, if applicable. If the Applicant has an arrest record or criminal history, the Applicant may be required to submit court documentation demonstrating the outcome of all arrests or criminal charges. Applicants should plan ahead and obtain all supporting documentation prior to submission of the application. Failure to provide this information may delay processing or even cause the Applicant to be denied a license.

An initial application fee, which helps offset the cost of the Commission’s investigation into each Applicant, must be paid with each application. The initial application fee will be paid by the gaming entity, but the gaming entity may require individual occupational licensees to provide reimbursement and may deduct the fee from an individual employee’s paycheck.

Initial application fees are as follows:

• Level 1 License: $1,000.00
• Level 2 License:    $200.00
• Level 3 License:      $75.00

Suitability Investigations

Gaming Commission staff conducts a background and financial investigation into each Applicant.

The standards, qualifications, and criteria that an Applicant must meet in order to be issued an occupational license are described in 68 IAC 2-3-5.

Indiana Code §§ 4-33-8-6 and 4-35-6.5-6 stipulates that Applicants are required to submit fingerprints and those card submissions may be forwarded to the Indiana State Police pursuant to Ind. Code § 4-33-4-18. All hard copy fingerprint submissions that accompany gaming license applications must be submitted on original, blue and white, FD-258 fingerprint cards. This requirement is pursuant to the submission directive issued by the Indiana State Police (“ISP”), the entity responsible for processing fingerprint card submissions.  Per the ISP directive, no other form of fingerprint card will be accepted for processing. This requirement applies uniformly to all licensing applications.

FD-258 fingerprint cards are available from the IGC by request or may be available to the Applicant or Licensee through other sources. Submissions using recreations, reproductions, scans, copies, or anything other than original FD-258 cards of original size will not be accepted. Card submissions must use the original FD-258 cardstock. Applications that fail to comply with this requirement will not be processed.

Applicants are further advised that pursuant to IC 4-33-4-18 and IC 4-33-6-5, all fingerprints provided by Applicants will be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a complete national criminal history check.  Applicants will have the opportunity to disprove the information contained in the criminal history return.  Corrections or updates to the criminal history return may be pursued by the following procedures contained in Title 28, C.F.R. § 16.34.

Felony Waivers

An individual who has been convicted of a felony or a gambling-related offense will be automatically denied an Occupational License. However, the individual may be eligible to apply for a felony waiver. Depending on the nature of the felony offense, at least five or ten years must have passed since the conclusion of the sentence served for the felony conviction or the Commission is prohibited from considering the application. Some offenses, such as crimes of fraud and deception, are not eligible to be waived.

The gaming agents at the Casinos can provide the felony waiver application.  You may also download a felony waiver application here. If the felony waiver Applicant meets the basic criteria for a waiver, a hearing will be held at which the individual may present evidence of rehabilitation and the reasons why a waiver should be granted. The hearing officer will make a recommendation to the Commission which will make the final decision regarding whether the waiver should be approved.

License Types

Temporary Licenses

With the exception of Applicants who disclose a felony or other concerning information on their application, most Applicants are issued a temporary license after a review of their application. Those with felonies can still potentially hold an Indiana License, however, they must complete the Felony Waiver Application. Temporary licenses can be revoked at any point by the Commission. An Applicant who receives a temporary license may work at a Casino or for a gaming entity until a permanent license is issued or the temporary license is revoked, expires, or is relinquished.

Permanent Licenses

Permanent Licensees have been deemed by the Commission to be suitable to receive an Occupational License. IGC will notify the gaming entity via the Commission’s Licensing and Application Management (LAM) system of the issuance of permanent licenses, and from there, the gaming entity may download a permanent license letter.

Once a permanent license has been issued, the gaming entity will incur a charge for the permanent license. The Commission will issue gaming entities an invoice quarterly that includes any permanent licensure fees. An Occupational License is only valid for one year and must be renewed annually.  Like the initial application fee, annual renewal fees and permanent license fees will be paid by the gaming entity, but the gaming entity may require the individual occupational licensee to provide reimbursement and may deduct the fee from an individual employee’s paycheck.

The permanent license fees are as follows:

• Level 1 License: $100.00
• Level 2 License: $50.00
• Level 3 License: $25.00

Renewals

All licenses must be renewed annually, including temporary licenses when applicable. Renewals can only be submitted within 60 days of their expiration date. Gaming Entities must use LAM to submit any renewals to IGC. Renewals will not be processed until payment is received for the renewal. Gaming entities can see a live listing of renewals due, as well as when any renewals are completed, in LAM.

Late renewals may result in the Commission taking disciplinary action against the Gaming Entity.

Suppliers and SWVs Occupational Licensees’ annual renewal fees are as follows:

• Level 1 License: $100.00
• Level 2 License: $50.00

Casino Occupational Licensees’ annual renewal fees are as follows:

• Level 1 License: $100.00 x number of sister properties accessed by the licensee
• Level 2 License: $50.00 x number of sister properties accessed by the licensee
• Level 3 License: $25.00 x number of sister properties accessed by the licensee

Corporate Occupational Licensees’ annual renewal fees are as follows:

• Level 1 License: $100.00 x number of properties licensed under the corporate parent in Indiana
• Level 2 License: $50.00 x number of properties licensed under the corporate parent in Indiana
• Level 3 License: $25.00 x number of properties licensed under the corporate parent in Indiana

Level 1 Reinvestigations

All Level 1 Occupational Licensees must undergo reinvestigation every three years, excluding temporary licensees when applicable. The IGC will complete a suitability investigation on each licensee undergoing reinvestigation. Directors of Background and Financial Investigations will reach out to the gaming entity before the time of reinvestigation to provide a listing of individuals required to file applications. Level 1 reinvestigations should not be filed by licensees without contact from the Investigations Division.

A Level 1 reinvestigation application fee, which helps offset the cost of the Commission’s investigation into each Applicant, must be paid with each reinvestigation application. The reinvestigation application fee will be paid by the gaming entity, but the gaming entity may require individual occupational licensees to provide reimbursement and may deduct the fee from an individual employee’s paycheck.

The Level 1 reinvestigation application fee is $1,000.00.

Submission of late applications may result in the Commission taking disciplinary action against the Gaming Entity.

Duties of an Occupational Licensee

An Occupational License does not create a property right but is a revocable privilege granted by the Commission contingent upon continuing suitability for licensure. Occupational Licensees have a duty to notify the Commission of any changes in the information submitted in the Occupational Licensee’s application.

Certain updates must be submitted to the IGC within ten (10) or fifteen (15) days of the change or occurrence of the event.  The updates that must be submitted within ten (10) or fifteen (15) days are:

• Occupational Licensee updates regarding an arrest, indictment, criminal charge, conviction, or guilty plea to any felony or misdemeanor offense. To notify IGC, send an email to occlic@igc.in.gov with the details of the disclosure within 10 calendar days of the occurrence.
• License termination due to separation from the company or no longer meeting the criteria set forth in the Level Designation Process section above. The requests must be submitted through LAM as a termination request within 15 calendar days of the separation or change in duties.
• Any other information that would affect the Occupational Licensee’s suitability to maintain a license.  To notify IGC, send an email to occlic@igc.in.gov with the details of the disclosure within 10 calendar days of the occurrence.

Supplier and SWV Occupational Licensees:  

Companies must provide the following updates to the IGC on a quarterly basis:

• Title changes for Occupational Licensees: utilizing LAM to submit an update by the 15th day after the close of the quarter in which the change occurred.
• Occupational Licensee changes of name, address, telephone number, and/or the filing of a bankruptcy: utilizing LAM to submit an update by the 15th calendar day after the close of the quarter in which the change occurred.

Quarter dates are as follows:

Casino and Corporate Occupational Licensees:

Companies must provide the following updates to the IGC within 10 calendar days of the change occurring:

• Title changes for occupational licensees: utilizing LAM to submit an update
• Occupational Licensee changes of name, address, telephone number, and/or the filing of a bankruptcy: utilizing LAM to submit an update

If a Licensee does not comply with the statutes and regulations governing casino gambling, the Licensee may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, revocation of the license, or a fine of up to $5,000.