The Indiana Gaming Commission is raising the stakes in its standoff with a principal owner of Gary s Majestic Star casinos and the new Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
The state gaming regulatory agency has filed paperwork to permanently revoke the occupational gaming license of Rod Ratcliff.
Ratcliff s license already was suspended by the commission on an emergency basis Dec. 23 â an action Ratcliff is challenging at the Lake Superior Court in Hammond.
Revocation would remove Ratcliff permanently from Indiana s gaming industry.
His current in-limbo status, however, is disrupting the scheduled spring opening of the $300 million Hard Rock Casino because the commission wants Ratcliff s ownership issues resolved before allowing the Majestic Star gaming boats on Lake Michigan to be replaced by the new land-based casino adjacent to the Borman Expressway at Burr Street in Gary.
Then, it all came crashing down. I knew something wasn t right for sure just because I couldn t really put too much pressure on (my left knee), Glass said. But for the first week, I didn t even know that (my left ACL) was torn, and our trainers were telling me that it might have been something with my hamstring. I didn t find out until about a week later when I took an MRI. That s when they told me.
Glass said he sustained his season-ending knee injury after catching a pass and planting awkwardly in a Week 6 win at LaPorte on Sept. 25. He walked off the field under his own power thinking he would return, but when it was confirmed that Glass high school football career was over, he was heartbroken.
The Indiana Gaming Commission took severe action on Wednesday against one of the founding fathers of the state’s gaming industry. It suspended Rod Ratcliff’s license and also ordered him to surrender his ownership stake in Spectacle Entertainment.
Indiana Gaming Commission Chairman Michael McMains listens to testimony during Wednesday’s commission meeting to discuss the Spectacle Entertainment investigation. The IGC voted to suspend former Spectacle leader Rod Ratcliff’s license in a unanimous vote. (Image: Indiana Gaming Commission)
The IGC also ordered former Spectacle executive John Keeler to sell his stake in the company by Jan. 15. Both men have been associated with a federal investigation into illegal campaign contributions, with Keeler having been indicted in September.