Northwest Indiana’s three casinos reported revenues of $70.7 million in June, down about 3.5% from the approximately $73.2 million reported for the same month last year, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming report.
Hard Rock Northern Indiana remained a bright spot for earnings with about $36.7 million reported for June, an increase over the $34.2 million it reported in June 2023, according to the report.
Matt Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, said he was pleased that the casino saw about a 7% increase this month compared to June 2023. He attributed the increase to continued growth on the casino’s slot-side of the business as well as non-gaming options like restaurants and entertainment.
“For us, certainly, June (was) a great month,” Schuffert said. “We’re certainly focused on operations here and glad to see it’s headed in the right direction.”
Ameristar Casino in East Chicago reported a June win of $14.1 million in 2024 while Horseshoe Hammond reported about $20 million. Those figures compared to $15.7 million and $23.2 million in win respectively for June 2023.
All three Northwest Indiana casinos saw a dip in revenues from May to June this year.
Ameristar reported about $14.6 million in May and $14.1 million in June, while Horseshoe Hammond reported $21.8 million in revenues in May compared to about $20 million in June. Hard Rock reported about $39.3 million in May and $36.7 million in June.
On the whole, Schuffert said June tends to be a slower month in the regional casino business because people have more commitments like graduations and vacations.
Schuffert said the casino continues to focus on providing the newest and most popular slot machines. But, outside of slots, table games and sports betting, Schuffert said the casino is also an entertainment destination, which increases revenues.
The casino has restaurants, retail and entertainment, Schuffert said.
“Entertainment is a big piece of our business. Several shows in June and really kicking off the summer,” Schuffert said. “We continue to focus on being a place that people want to spend their time in regardless if it’s on the gaming side or on the entertainment, food and beverage side.”
Looking ahead, Schuffert said it is hard to speculate what trends for July and August will look like.
“There certainly can be a number of external factors which can impact that, but we stay focused to continue to provide that great experience. We’re hopeful things continue to head in the right direction,” Schuffert said.
