GARY, Ind. (AP) — The owners of northwestern Indiana’s Majestic Star Casino are moving forward with plans to replace its aging casino riverboats with a land-based gambling facility in Gary.

A state law passed last year allows for operation of a casino on land already owned by the casino contiguous to its dock.

Majestic Star general manager Barry Cregan tells The (Munster) Times engineers are studying sites at Majestic Star’s Buffington Harbor property in Gary.

Majestic Star was one of three Indiana riverboat casinos that lobbied state lawmakers for land-based casinos. Operators of Tropicana Casino in Evansville and Rising Star Casino in Lawrenceburg also expressed a desire to move onto land.

Majestic Star executives argued that the move onshore was necessary to compete with land-based casinos in other states.