Members of the Indiana Gaming Commission unanimously approved on Wednesday the proposed relocation of Gary’s two Majestic Star riverboat casinos and their consolidation into what would operate as Hard Rock Casino Gary.
The project was given the green light by the state gambling regulator just a day after the Gary Common Council approved it overwhelmingly.
The owner of the two Majestic Star casinos, Spectacle Entertainment, plans to relocate them from Lake Michigan to a site near the Borman Expressway at Burr Street. They will be merged into a single land-based Hard Rock-branded casino under a partnership between Spectacle and the Florida-based gaming and hospitality giant.
Spectacle will relinquish one of its Gary licenses. The vacated license will be repurposed for the development of a casino in Terre Haute, Vigo County. However, that will only be possible if county residents authorize casino gambling during the upcoming November election.
The New Gary Casino
Now as Spectacle’s proposal has been approved by gaming regulators and Gary officials, the company plans to commence construction of a $300 million casino complex later this year. Hard Rock Casino Gary will spread over 225,000 square feet and will feature a casino floor with more than 2,000 gambling positions and a sportsbook.
The complex will also include a Hard Rock Cafe, a 2,000-seat Hard Rock Live music venue, and a number of dining outlets and bars. Spectacle and Hard Rock will later on add a 200-room hotel and parking garage.
The property is expected to create 1,600 permanent jobs when it its casino, entertainment, and dining facilities open doors late next year. Another 200 jobs will be generated by the addition of the hotel portion of the complex. The hotel is expected to open doors in two to three years’ time.
Workers currently employed at the two Majestic Star casinos will be given jobs at the new Hard Rock casino. In addition, Spectacle has promised that Gary residents will be given hiring priority when its new casino opens doors.
A Destination Location
Gaming commissioners praised the scope of the Gary casino project before approving it at their Wednesday meeting. Commissioner Joseph Svetanoff said that Spectacle’s plan “will truly create a destination location” in Gary and Northwest Indiana.
Greg Small, attorney for the Indiana Gaming Commission, said Wednesday that Spectacle has either met or is close to meeting all the conditions it needs to fulfill in order to be able to proceed with relocating its Majestic Star casinos.
The relocation of the two facilities onto dry land was made possible by the recent enactment of the House Enrolled Act 1015. The legislation was signed by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb in early May and aside from the relocation and merger of the two Majestic Star casinos and the potential development of a new casino in Terre Haute, it also authorized the provision of sports betting services on the territory of the state.
Indiana is just days away from going live with athletic wagering. Three of the state’s casinos will debut their sportsbooks on September 1, the day when sports betting is set to officially become legal, with those three being Indiana Grand Casino in Shelbyville, Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, and Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. More sportsbooks are slated to open doors in the following days.
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