Gen Con, the granddaddy of gaming conventions might be looking for a new home. The event is held every year in Indianapolis, Indiana and brings in an estimated $50 million to the city's economy thanks to its massive attendance (56,000 attendees last year alone). That could all be in jeopardy thanks to a controversial bill known as SB 101. This bill will prevent state and local authorities from interfering with businesses' and individuals' "exercise of religion unless the government can prove it has a compelling interest and is doing so in the least restrictive means". To break that down, the bill would provide business owners and individuals with legal protection to engage in discrimination based on religious grounds.
This is a serious concern to Gen Con organizers, as the attendees of the event are "made up of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identities, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds". In a letter to the governor, owner and CEO of Gen Con LLC, Adrian Swartout, laid out a rather clear viewpoint stating "Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years."
If Gen Con does decide to move, it will have a huge impact on the city. The Indiana Convention Center has been enlarged at a cost of over $200 million dollars in large part to better house Gen Con. The economic fallout from losing the estimated $50 million the convention brings to the local economy will also be severe. But even more concerning is the idea that a piece of legislation like SB 101 could actually be passed into law in a modern society. Needless to say, this will be a story we will follow closely.
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