By Michelle L. Quinn, Post-Tribune correspondent
A month of turmoil in October took a toll on Northwest Indiana casinos, most of which posted lackluster numbers over the previous year.
Blue Chip in Michigan City took an especially large hit, both in revenues and number of visitors, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission's monthly report.
The casino, which is facing competition from the newly opened Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Mich., had 58,316 fewer customers go through its turnstile compared to last October, and saw revenues drop $5 million, from $22.7 million last October to $17.7 million.
Keith Smith, chief operating officer for Blue Chip parent Boyd Gaming in Las Vegas, said Four Winds has had a negative effect on Blue Chip.
Resorts East Chicago and Horseshoe Casino Hammond also saw big drops.
Resorts lost $6 million from last October, going from $28.2 million to $22.5 million. Its turnstile count was more than 40,000 less than last year, at 267,006 compared to 307,427.
Horseshoe Casino's turnstile count was up almost 12,000 visitors over last year, but its revenues suffered a hit, bringing in $27.7 million last month versus $37.6 million last year.
Slots were on par, but Horseshoe reported an almost $900,000 loss in gaming table activity compared to $10 million in revenues last year.
Majestic Star II was the only casino to post a modest increase, with $9.6 million, compared with $8.8 million in 2006.
Majestic Star also held its own with $10.4 million, versus $10.5 million last year.
Ed Feigenbaum, of Indiana Gaming Insight, said October usually not a strong month.