The New Hard Rock Casino in Gary, IN

The new Hard Rock Casino is located in Gary, IN, just off of I-94 and is less than 45 miles from where I reside in neighboring Chicago. This was my first visit, since their grand opening back in May 2021. Getting there would be easy, if there wasn't endless construction along I-90/94.

I was actually expecting a much larger property, but overall it's not bad for a local casino. I believe they are planning to build a hotel, but I haven't heard any recent updates.

I signed up to their players club (Unity) online the day before my visit so I had to stop by the players booth to get a new card. I was disappointed that they had no promos for new members. Seems like this is becoming the norm nowadays. The lady at the desk did tell me to watch my emails for additional promos, after giving them some play so we'll see.

They've also combined all of the various player clubs into one system which is nice, so you can use the same players card at all of their properties to earn tier and Unity points. This is good news, since the Mirage-Las Vegas will soon be a Hard Rock. Tier points expire annually and Unity points expire after 6 months, if there is no account activity. You have to visit a property and gamble to keep your Unity points from expiring.

Inside the casino, they have a huge guitar shaped chandelier hanging from the ceiling which is cool. I couldn't fit the entire thing in my photo. LOL

It wouldn't be the Hard Rock without some classic guitars from various rock stars on display.

The Rock Shop is their casino store.

There are also various displays around the Hard Rock Cafe some featuring Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Elvis, etc.

They also have a buffet! Although, it was closed during my visit. You can see the hours/days and price in the photo above.

If you check out their website, you can get more details on all of their dining options like the Hard Rock Cafe, YouYu Noodle Bar, Constant Grind Bistro, Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, and their bars. I decided not to have lunch during my visit, since I didn't have any comps. LOL

As for gambling, it was a losing trip. The slots and VP just weren't paying out. Not even one 4OAK playing VP. The Buffalos were just as bad, as well as several other slots that I tried. I lost about $300 which is half of my earlier winnings from my visit to the Blue Chip Casino last week. I would have stayed and played longer, but I didn't want to lose my entire bankroll on one visit. LOL Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck next time.

They seem to have a nice mix of slots that you would find in Vegas, but a limited number of VP machines on the floor. I don't normally play bar-top VP so I didn't check those out. I didn't check the payables on all of the machines, but they do have 9/6 Double Bonus.

Overall, the Hard Rock is a nice casino. It's still relatively new, so everything is clean and fresh. All of the casino personnel that I spoke with were very friendly. There wasn't a huge crowd, but there was a fair amount of folks present for a weekday. I was there from about 9:30am to 1:30pm.

Another Day Trip To The Blue Chip Casino: Weds 11/2/22

 Since my Boyd points are due to expire at the end of November and I decided not to do Vegas over Halloween, I decided to drive out to the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, IN.  I got an early morning start to try and avoid some of the rush hour traffic, but the never ending road construction on I-90/94 and whatnot is still going on in the downtown area.  There's really no easy alternate route to avoid the mess, since taking the main roads are just as slow or even slower.   It's about a 70 mi drive and usually takes around 2 hr to get there on a good day. LOL   I arrived at around 10:30am, but I made a stop at McDonald's on the way to get breakfast (Bacon/Egg/Cheese McGriddle meal with coffee).

I was surprised that The Game was open, since it has always been closed during the weekdays on my previous trips.  It's a sports bar where they also serve food.

Nelson's Deli (center in the pic below) is open 7 days a week and has late hours.  Their steakhouse still has limited hours and days, so there aren't many dining options available, especially since their buffet is most likely history.

Normally, they don't allow taking photos in the casino, but I always sneak in a few shots.   So far, they've never said anything whenever I snap photos of my slot machine wins.

The good news is that this was a winning trip!  I came home with an additional $607.  The Top Dollar slots and the $1 Double Bonus Poker were good to me today.   I took this pic of my best Top Dollar win, but I should have waited for it to add up all the coins.   This Top Dollar version also has double  2X multipliers so the total win was $110 X4 = $440, since I also got the double 2X multiplier.

I also hit this 4OAK on the $1 Double Bonus Poker for $400.  Both the Top Dollar slot and Double Bonus kept generating small wins, so I was able to keep playing for a few hours without having to feed Benjamins into those machines.  I also had $35 in freeplay, but no luck running that through a lightning strike machine. 

It seems like they reduced the number of VP machine on the casino floor or maybe it's just the way they've rearranged them.  They also have more of those electronic games that are taking over the table games.  They did have a few tables open, but weekdays are usually slower so most of them were closed.  

I also passed by the new Hard Rock Casino on the way going/returning home.  It's just off of I-94 so you can't miss it, since it's right next to the highway with the big Hard Rock Casino sign.  It's about a 45 mi drive to get there from my house, so it's closer than the Blue Chip.  I thought about stopping by on my way home, but traffic was getting bad so I'll have to plan a trip to the Hard Rock on another day.  They also have much better dining options at the Hard Rock, than the Blue Chip.  They're suppose to build a hotel next to the casino, but I haven't heard any further updates.