Northwest Indiana casino revenue up 6%

hwest Indiana’s casinos reported strong performance in the month of June, increasing their gaming revenue to $75.2m, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission.

The figure represents a 6% increase compared to the prior year period, being the largest year-over-year rise in revenue since February 2016.

Moreover, June also marked the end of Indiana’s fiscal year, during which state government enacted legislation designed to soften casino’s tax burden and make operations more efficient.

“June was just a good, solid month,” Ameristar Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Schuffert said of the East Chicago casino’s performance. “It was good to see growth in both tables and slots.”

Horseshoe led the way with a 10.8 % rise in revenue to $32.3m, whilst Ameristar reported an 8.7 % increase to $17.8m; and Michigan City's Blue Chip increased its win by 4.5% to $13.1m. Majestic Star took a step back, declining 7.1% to $12m.

"We're very pleased with the results this month," Horseshoe Senior Vice President and General Manager Dan Nita said. "We had growth in all the key metrics — slots, table games, poker and visitor count."

June was the second straight month of growth in a calendar year that is still slightly down. Northwest Indiana's casinos are down about 1.6% for the year, accruing $481.5m in gambling revenue.