Hard Rock is top earning Indiana casino for five straight quarters
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There's no turning down the volume at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
Data released Thursday by the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) show Hard Rock in December tallied more "win," or revenue after paying successful bettors, than any of the 11 other commercial casinos located throughout the state for a 15th consecutive month.
Hard Rock recorded $33.8 million in win last month, a 4.3% increase compared to December 2021. It was the sole Northwest Indiana gaming enterprise to increase its monthly win on a year-over-year basis, according to the IGC.
Statewide, December win at Indiana casinos was down 3.6%, records show.
Matt Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, credited a big turnout on New Year's Eve — with multiple musical acts performing across the property — for helping Hard Rock stand out as an all-around entertainment destination.
"December was an amazing finish to an amazing 2022 for Hard Rock Northern Indiana," Schuffert said. "Despite battling severe winter weather for multiple days around Christmas, we were able to post strong growth."
"It was extremely positive to see 8% growth on the slot side of our business over last December, despite the weather," he added.
Hard Rock's state-leading slot machine play totaled $243 million in December, with win of $23.6 million, compared to December 2021 slot win of $21.9 million on $224.8 million in play.
The Gary casino also led the state for December table game play, primarily baccarat, with $47.6 million, and table win of $10.2 million.
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 $25.7 million in win — down 13.6% from its December 2021 win of $29.7 million.
Monthly win at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago dropped 13.5% to $16.4 million for December compared to $18.9 million for the same month in the prior year.
Last month's win at Blue Chip Casino, in Michigan City, totaled $10.5 million versus $11.7 million last December, a reduction of 10.4%, according to the IGC.
Hoosiers also scaled back their sports wagering a bit in December. The statewide online and retail handle was $431.4 million, compared to $452.3 million in November 2022 and $463 million in December 2021.
Records show Indiana sports fans wagered an unprecedented $4.4 billion on local, national and international competitions during 2022, including a top monthly sports wagering handle of $500.1 million in January.
In total, Indiana in December collected $54.4 million in tax revenue from slot machine and table game play, and another $4.1 million from settled sports wagers, according to the IGC.
