In Indiana, officials at Spectacle Entertainment recently presented to the Gary Plan Commission a timeline for the proposed $400 million Hard Rock Casino, expected to open on December 31, 2020. The commission then unanimously authorized Spectacle’s request for a planned unit development—the first of numerous city and state regulatory board approvals required before construction can begin. The land-based Hard Rock will replace the company’s Majestic Star casinos on the Gary riverfront.
Spectacle Vice President and General Counsel John Keeler said a hotel and parking facility would be built within two to three years. Keeler noted, “We originally envisioned to do that all in one fell swoop, but then along came Illinois and that sort of set us back on our heels a little bit. But we’re committed to this project and committed to doing it in two phases.”
Keeler was referring to the new expanded gambling law in Illinois, allowing six new casinos, including Chicago and southern Cook County. In fact, he said without that Illinois expansion, the proposed Gary casino may not have carried the Hard Rock brand. “That partnership was dictated by what happened in Illinois. We felt if we were going to be able to compete in Gary and put out a first-class product, and really attract people to our facility, we needed to partner with the gold standard, with the Rolls Royce if you will, in the casino gaming industry. And that’s why we’ve partnered with Hard Rock, who will manage and brand this casino,” he said.
Besides the attached hotel and parking garage, the venue will offer the region’s second-largest casino floor, a sportsbook, numerous restaurants and bars and the Hard Rock Live performance facility. Spectacle Vice President of Development Rich Zeigler said the 200,000 square foot casino will offer “all of the amenities that you would see in a state-of-the-art and top-of-the-line casino. The property will offer the best-of-the-best, based on Hard Rock’s tremendous experience with casinos, not only in the design but the construction of them.”
He added, “What the aesthetics of the property look like are very, very important to us. As you get off Interstate 80/94 onto Burr Street, the transformation of what this streetscape is going to look like will be dramatic.”
Gary Director of Planning and Zoning Sarah Kobetis said, “It’s going to be a very beautiful site, and I think it’s going to be an impetus for a lot of economic development.”
