Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana continues to be the unquestioned leader of the state's gaming industry as it prepares this week to celebrate the fourth anniversary of its grand opening.
Data released Monday by the Indiana Gaming Commission show Hard Rock in April once again tallied more "win" — or revenue after paying successful bettors — than any of its 12 Hoosier State competitors for a 42nd consecutive month.
Hard Rock recorded $37.7 million in April win, or 19.1% of the $197.6 million in statewide win, on $49.2 million in table game play and $274.5 million in slot machine play, according to the IGC.
Or, put another way, an average of $10.8 million was bet each day in April at the casino located adjacent to eastbound Interstate 80/94 at Burr Street.
Hard Rock's reign at the top isn't the longest streak in Indiana gaming history. But once Hard Rock claimed the title from the state's former earnings leader, Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, barely five months after opening May 14, 2021, no other casino has come close to challenging the Gary gaming, dining and entertainment destination for state supremacy.
"What an incredible four years it has been," said Matt Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. "We've had a steady climb in our revenues that's really attributable to the product, the brand, the people that we employ and the great job that they do."
"It feels like, in so many ways, we haven't been open as long as we have. But we certainly couldn't have imagined it going any better over the first four years at Hard Rock Northern Indiana."
What the next four years might hold is set to be decided May 21 when the Lake County Board of Commissioners selects either the Hard Rock location or a Hobart site near Southlake Mall for the long-sought county convention center, attached hotel and related amenities.
Elsewhere in the Region, Horseshoe Casino ranked third in the state in April behind its Horseshoe Indianapolis sister property with $21.1 million in win — down 4.6% from its April 2024 win of $22.2 million.
Monthly win at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago also dropped by 7.5% to $13.7 million in April compared with $14.8 million for the same month in the prior year.
Win at Blue Chip Casino, in Michigan City, fell to $10 million versus $10.4 million last April, a decline of 3.8%, according to the IGC.
Meanwhile, Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino, located six miles west of the Indiana-Illinois state line, grew its adjusted gross receipts by 1.7% to $17.1 million in April — retaining the second-highest attendance and second-highest adjusted gross receipts of Illinois' 16 casinos in its fifth full month of operations.
Data show Indiana's online and retail sports wagering handle was $437.1 million last month, compared with $393.9 million in April 2024. The all-time monthly record for sports bets in Indiana is $614.4 million, set in November 2024.
In total, Indiana in April collected in $61.2 million in tax revenue from slot machine and table game play, and $3.8 million from settled sports wagers, according to the IGC.
© Copyright 2025, nwitimes.com, Munster, IN