Gaming revenue from Northwest Indiana’s five casinos dropped 3 percent in June 2015 compared to June 2014, with revenue of .2 million in June 2014 versus .5 million in 2014. In May, which had five weekends, the area’s casinos took in .2 million. The Indiana Gaming Commission also reported from January through June, revenue was about the same as 2014, with an increase of 0.3 percent at 3.8 million.
Horseshoe Hammond General Manager Dan Nita said, “We’ve had good months, we’ve had some soft months. The general softness continues.” Seeing the “softness” end, Nita said, “depends on how much additional supply gets added to the market.” He said non-casino-based slot machines in Illinois, now numbering around 20,000 statewide, plus the threat of “slot malls,” pose serious threats to casinos. Even in Chicago, Nita said, casino revenue dropped about 2.1 percent January through June, indicating the impact of non-casino slots. “The oversight is so poor on this,” Nita said
Horseshoe Casino, the area’s largest, posed revenue declines of $6.5 million to $32.7 million in June compared to one year ago. “The table game side of the business fared slightly better than slots,” Nita said.
Majestic Star’s two riverboats in Gary declined 1.5 percent and Blue Chip in Michigan City was down 3.8 percent.
Only Ameristar in East Chicago showed a year-on-year gain, up 4.2 percent to $18 million in June. Since it expanded table games last summer, Ameristar consistently has posted annual gains.
