- Hard Rock Northern Indiana says that it is pausing plans to build a new hotel tower adjacent to its existing property.
- The Gary casino expanded its gaming floor last October and added a sportsbook last May.
- Hard Rock Northern Indiana is the state’s top-earning casino in the last 14 months.
Hard Rock Northern Indiana announced last Thursday that it has put on hold its plan to build a new hotel tower adjacent to its property.
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana pauses plans to construct adjacent hotel amid economic uncertainty https://t.co/pn6E0auAz7
— Yogonet Gaming News (@YogonetNews) December 22, 2022
Hard Rock International chief operating officer Jon Lucas told the Indiana Gaming Commission that the “uncertain economic conditions” have forced them to pause the project. Lucas said tight capital markets and high construction costs have made it “impossible” to build the new Hard Rock Hotel at this time.
Lucas, however, told the Commission that his company remains determined to add a multi-story hotel tower to its Hoosier State destination and has in fact acquired nearby parcels of land to replace the parking area which will be used for the hotel project.
For his part, Hard Rock Northern Indiana President Matt Schuffert told the commission that although they are pausing the hotel project, the Gary casino has already made several improvements since its debut in 2021.
Hard Rock Expands Gaming Floor, Adds Sports Betting
Last October, the casino debuted an expanded gaming floor. Measuring 1,240 square feet, the new space was added near the Fresh Harvey Eatery and allowed the addition of 65 brand-new slot machines. The additional space also gives more room for a mix of popular classic games and better sight lines to the casino’s music memorabilia display and live entertainment.
Prior to its latest expansion, the casino boasted over 1,600 slot machines, 80 table games, a 200-room hotel, 5 restaurants, 2 bars and a Hard Rock live entertainment venue. After the gaming floor expansion, Hard Rock now has 1,719 slot machines, more than any other casino in the region.
In May, Hard Rock Northern Indiana also opened a Hard Rock Sportsbook located near the Hard Rock Cafe. The retail sports betting shop boasts of a 24-foot LED display with multiple viewing windows, 23 self-service sports betting kiosks for 24/7 betting, multiple odds boards, and a ticker with live scores, stats, and news feeds. Recently, the casino also launched the online version of the Hard Rock Sportsbook which allows bettors to place their wagers online.
As reported by the Times of Northwest Indiana, the Gary casino also made sound and lightning improvements, added a large video wall in the 2,700-person capacity Hard Rock Live performance venue, and also constructed a new cashier cage located at its baccarat gaming area.
Top-Earning Casino in Indiana
Located adjacent to Interstate 80/94 at Bury Street in Gary, Hard Rock used the gambling license of the former Majestic Star Casino boat at Gary’s Buffington Harbor. That riverboat casino was acquired by Spectacle Entertainment in 2019 and broke ground on a project to move it to land. However, Spectacle was forced to sell 85% of the casino after its CEO was involved in a controversy and Hard Rock continued with the project.
Hard Rock Northern Indiana is the top-earning casino in the Hoosier State. As of the latest figures from the Indiana Gaming Commission, the betting hotspot made $35 million in revenues for November, the most by any casino in the state and the only casino in Indiana to breach the $30 million mark. That marked the 14th consecutive month where Hard Rock Northern Indiana paced the state’s 12 casinos in revenues.
The $300 million casino opened its doors to the public in May 2021 and since October 2021, it has been the state’s pace-setter as far as monthly revenues are concerned. It has not only overtaken Horseshoe Casino in Hammond but it has also outperformed the casino that it replaced.
According to Schuffert, Hard Rock Northern Indiana’s first 12 months of operations topped Majestic Star’s last pre-pandemic year by $270 million in revenues. During that span, Hard Rock also paid a total of $119 million in gaming taxes to the state which translated to a 305% increase from Majestic Star’s remittance.
