Last month, the Hard Rock Casino paid over $1 million in jackpots and had its third busiest slot month since opening five years ago in Gary, said casino CEO Matt Schuffert.
The casino paid its second largest jackpot of $256,000 and nine jackpots over $100,00 in May, Schuffert said. The Hard Rock opened an expanded high-limits slot room and VIP lounge in April, Schuffert said, which is likely what contributed to the increase in May slot numbers.
“While the overall revenue is actually down year over year, volumes were up. Customers played a lot luckier this May than last May, which is exciting. We certainly want to see winners,” Schuffert said.
All three Northwest Indiana casinos saw decreases in revenue year over year for the first five months of 2026. In May, the three casinos saw a decrease in revenue from $76.3 million in 2025 to $71.9 million in 2026, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
In April, the three casinos saw a decrease in revenue from $72.5 million in 2025 to $69.2 million in 2026. In March the three casinos saw a decrease in revenue from $77 million in 2025 to $73.2 million in 2026, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
In February, the three casinos saw a decrease in revenue from $67.4 million in 2025 to $65.3 million in 2026. In January, the three casinos saw a decrease in revenue from $68.2 million in 2025 to $66.4 million in 2026, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
Revenues have remained mostly flat year over year when comparing January through May, Schuffert said. Volume increased slightly and customer wins also increased slightly, he said.
“Considering everything that’s happening externally – gas prices today versus gas prices last year, the cost of things this year versus last year – for our business to be pretty flat year over year is a good sign,” Schuffert said.
The Hard Rock celebrated five years of operation in Gary in May by displaying 50 new pieces of music memorabilia in the lobby and five concerts, two of which were free, Schuffert said.
Over the course of five years, the casino has paid out over $1 billion in jackpots, created 1,300 jobs, paid over $650 million in taxes, and donated nearly $10 million to various charities, Schuffert said.
“Looking back at the last five years, it’s really hard to believe we’ve been open five years,” Schuffert said. “That was something that we celebrated with our guests and celebrated with our team members in May as well.”
In May, year over year, Ameristar reported an increase in revenue, with $12.6 million in 2025 and $13.4 million in 2026. In May, Hard Rock reported a decrease in revenue with $39.9 million in 2025 and $36.6 million in 2026; and the Horseshoe reported a decrease in revenue with $23.8 million in 2025 and $21.9 million in 2026, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
In April, all three casinos reported a decrease in revenue year over year. The Hard Rock reported revenue of $37.7 million in 2025 and $36.7 million in 2026; the Horseshoe reported revenue of $21.1 million in 2025 and $19.9 million in 2026; and Ameristar reported revenue of $13.7 million in 2025 and $12.6 million in 2026.
In March, Hard Rock reported a slight increase, year over year, in revenue with $38.5 million in 2025 and approximately $39 million in 2026. The Horseshoe reported $24.1 million in March 2025 revenue and $21.6 million in March 2026 revenue; and Ameristar reported $14.4 million in March 2025 revenue and $12.6 million in March 2026 revenue, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
In February, Hard Rock reported an increase, year over year, in revenue with $34.4 million in 2025 and $35.5 million in 2026. The Horseshoe reported $20.2 million in February 2025 revenue and $18 million in February 2026 revenue; and Ameristar reported $12.8 million in February 2025 revenue and $11.8 million in February 2026 revenue, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
In January, the Horseshoe reported a slight increase, year over year, in revenue with $17.9 million in 2025 and $18.4 million in 2026. The Hard Rock reported $36.9 million in January 2025 revenue and $36.2 million in January 2026 revenue; and Ameristar reported $13.4 million in January 2025 revenue and $11.8 million in January 2026 revenue, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s monthly gaming reports.
June is a challenging time for the gaming industry, Schuffert said, because people have graduations, weddings and travel. This June also had severe weather, which impacted attendance, he said.
“All in all, June is always our slowest month of the year in this market. It’s just the nature of the business; we get it,” Schuffert said. “So far it’s trending fine, but we’re only halfway through it, so we’ll see how it does finish up.”
Schuffert said he’s looking forward to the opening of the Lake County Convention Center and additional hotel developments in the area. If the Chicago Bears open a new stadium in Hammond, Schuffert said that would benefit the region.
“When the Bears come to Hammond, it is going to be good for all of Northwest Indiana. That’s a game changer,” Schuffert said. “It just speaks to the momentum that this area has, not just Gary and not just Hammond but all of Northwest Indiana.”
akukulka@post-trib.com
