Hard Rock Casino does big business in short month

Exciting games, delicious dining and a packed entertainment schedule continue to push the volume ever higher — even in a short month — at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.

Data released Tuesday by the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) show Hard Rock in February tallied more “win,” or revenue after paying successful bettors, than any of the 11 other commercial casinos in the Hoosier State for a 28th consecutive month.

Hard Rock reported $37.9 million in February win — a 10% increase compared to its February 2023 win of $34.4 million, according to the IGC.

The Gary gaming destination also accounted for 19% of the state’s $199.7 million in total casino win for the second month of 2024.

Matt Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, said February was "a very exciting month" despite the overall decline in the Northwest Indiana gaming market.

"We were able to grow our gaming business by 10% over last year, with minimal credit given to the February’s extremely mild weather and having one extra day from leap year," Schuffert said.

He also noted Hard Rock has tickets on sale now for more than 20 upcoming shows, its restaurants are set to roll out their spring menus over the next couple weeks, and new gaming machines are regularly brought into the casino based on customer feedback.

Indeed, records show Hard Rock’s state-leading slot machine play totaled $273.3 million in February, with a state-best win of $26.2 million; compared to February 2023 slot win of $25.6 million on $258.9 million in play.

In addition, the Gary casino led the state for February table game play, primarily baccarat, with $42.5 million, and was tops in table win at $11.7 million.

To put that in perspective, more money was wagered at Hard Rock table games in February than the tables at the three other Northwest Indiana casinos combined ($38.7 million), records show.

According to the IGC, the state’s former earnings leader, Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, last month ranked third in the state behind its Horseshoe Indianapolis sister property with $21.6 million in win — down 22.6% from its February 2023 win of $27.9 million.

Monthly win at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago also fell 8.6% to $15.1 million in February compared with $16.5 million for the same month in the prior year.

But last month’s win at Blue Chip Casino, in Michigan City, increased nearly $10,000 versus last February, or 0.09%, to reach $11.1 million, according to the IGC

The popularity of sports wagering on Hoosiers’ mobile devices and at sports books inside the state’s casinos dropped off in February from recent near-record highs.

The statewide online and retail sports wagering handle was $408.7 million last month, compared with $356.2 million in February 2023. The all-time monthly record of $513.7 million was set in November 2023.

In total, Indiana in February collected $59.2 million in tax revenue from slot machine and table game play, and $3.6 million from settled sports wagers, according to the IGC.