“You have to have people to service the machines,” Coady said. “You need to consider maintenance, housekeeping and security.”

Rick Moore said adding slots would expand existing jobs at Hoosier Park (which currently employs 350 during live racing) while adding new ones.

“It would be more of what we already have: maintenance, housekeeping, food and guest services,” Moore said. “But there would also be some specialized jobs associated with gaming: the back of the house, security, vault operations.”

Job specifics will also depend on whether Hoosier Park operates 12, 18 or 24 hours a day. Slots would also necessitate expansion, Moore said, creating 100 or more construction jobs.

Will Cummings is president of Cummings Associates, a consulting firm specializing in racing and gaming. He said the estimate of 800 to 1,000 jobs falls in line with his prediction for total revenues of $533 million between the two facilities.

He said Hoosier Park will draw from a population of about 2 million adults, most coming from greater Indianapolis.

“The attractive power of a facility is in direct proportion to population size and inversely proportionate to its distance from population,” Cummings said. “In real estate they say location, location, location. Here, it’s location, location and size. Location is roughly twice as important as size.”

Cummings is familiar with the bill in its current form and said any change in the number of machines, the tax rate (a proposed 37.5 percent) or the one-time licensing fee could alter the profitability. If legislation passes, Hoosier Park will pay a one-time fee of $100 million to the state.

But Indiana won’t be the only benefactor. Dwayne Rhule is a horse owner, breeder and trainer based near Pendleton. As vice chairman of the Indiana Horse Racing and Breeding Coalition, he provides a voice for horse industry.

“We all have a common interest in this cause. None of us can be successful without the other,” Rhule said. “Slots will allow us to have an increase in purses. If you do basic Economics 101 for the horseman, the purses drive the whole business. This is how we earn our income.”

Slot machines will not only increase purses, Rhule said, but add stability to the industry and lead to in-state breeding incentives, improving the quality of Indiana horses and generating national exposure.

“Why would you not want this business to grow?” Rhule said. “This is no different than when Indiana goes after somebody to build an industrial plant. This is an industry that has had rapid growth. This is a fantastic opportunity to let the industry grow.”

Moore believes time is of the essence. Other slot-machine bills have failed and the window for opportunity is closing.

“The first state in the Midwest to get this is going to see the economic development,” Moore said. “It’s so important to be the first in the area.”