Hard Rock continues to outpace Indiana casino competition

A sweet song continued playing at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in May even as the two other casinos located in Lake County saw their earnings dip.

Data released Wednesday by the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) show Hard Rock last month tallied more "win," or revenue after paying successful bettors, than any of the 12 other commercial casinos in the Hoosier State for a 31st consecutive month.

Hard Rock tallied $39.3 million in May win — a 16.4% increase compared to its May 2023 win of $33.7 million, and one of its highest monthly totals since opening its doors to the public May 14, 2021.

The Gary gaming, dining and entertainment destination single-handedly accounted for more than 18% of the state’s $215.1 million in total casino win for the fifth month of 2024, according to the IGC.

"I must continue to give credit to our outstanding team members, who focus day in and day out on providing memorable experiences for our guests," said Matt Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.

Schuffert also said he was pleased to see Hard Rock voted "Best Casino," "Best Casino Dining" and "Best Place for Lunch," among other accolades, in The Times Best of the Region awards as the casino celebrated its 3rd anniversary.

IGC data show Hard Rock’s state-leading slot machine play totaled $288.5 million in May, with a state-best win of $28.8 million; compared to May 2023 slot win of $25.4 million on $255.9 million in play.

In addition, the Gary casino led the state for May table game play, primarily baccarat, with $48.2 million, and was tops in table win at $10.4 million.

To put that in perspective, records show considerably more money was wagered at Hard Rock table games in May than the tables at the three other Northwest Indiana casinos combined ($35.8 million).

According to the IGC, the state’s former earnings leader, Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, last month ranked fourth in the state behind its Horseshoe Indianapolis and Caesars Southern Indiana sister properties with $21.8 million in win — down 11.2% from its May 2023 win of $24.5 million.

Monthly win at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago also fell 1.9% to $14.6 million in May compared with $14.9 million for the same month in the prior year. Though Ameristar ($16.3 million) nearly matched Horseshoe ($16.6 million) for table game play last month.

On the other hand, last month’s win at Blue Chip Casino, in Michigan City, totaled $10.6 million versus $10.1 million last May, an increase of 5.4%, according to the IGC.

Across the state line, Bally's Chicago Casino reported May win of $13.8 million to the Illinois Gaming Board. In comparison, the Terre Haute Casino, which opened April 5 in a much smaller market in west-central Indiana, tallied $12.7 million in May win during its first full month of operations.

Data show the statewide online and retail sports wagering handle was $361.6 million last month, compared with $283.4 million in May 2023. The all-time monthly record of $513.7 million was set in November 2023.

In total, Indiana in May collected $64.7 million in tax revenue from slot machine and table game play, and $3.7 million from settled sports wagers, according to the IGC.