Michigan City, Indiana - Fireworks marked the grand opening of Blue Chip Casino's new 22-story hotel tower, which it hopes will make it stand out among the area's gambling destinations. The new hotel opened Jan. 22 in Michigan City. It cost USD 130 million to build and its 302 rooms join the 184 rooms in the original eight-story Blue Chip Tower. The hotel overlooking Lake Michigan has a 1,200-seat theater, a luxury spa and new bars and restaurants.

Bloomington, Indiana -- Indiana's typically resilient gambling industry is taking a beating from the nation's economic downturn. The gambling industry has been considered somewhat recession-proof, but the state's wagering tax and admission tax revenues declined in fiscal year 2008 compared with the previous year, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission.

Indianapolis, Indiana - Southern Indiana's Horseshoe Casino Hotel has agreed to pay a USD 59,000 fine and one of its dealers will serve a two-day suspension for unrelated violations of state gambling regulations. The Harrison County casino, formerly Caesars Indiana, agreed to pay the fine to avoid additional action and penalties on five counts of breaking state rules, including an allegation that a gambler who was forbidden to board the riverboat had wagered there several times.

Tropicana Entertainment filed a motion in US bankruptcy court to seek a better sale price for its Indiana casino, the same day two unions voted in favor of a new contract for 750 workers at the company’s Las Vegas Strip property. The company said last Friday it hopes to get a higher bid for Casino Aztar in Evansville, Indiana. Tropicana already agreed to sell the property to Eldorado Resorts in March, but said it was operating under a different governance structure.

Entertainer Bette Midler headlined the grand opening of the extensively renovated Horseshoe Casino Chicagoland in Hammond, Indiana. She played the USD 70 million Venue, a 90,000-square-foot entertainment facility built as “another dimension to why people choose to come to” the USD 500 million complex, says Rick Mazer, regional president and general manager for Horseshoe.

Tax revenue generated by Indiana's casinos dipped nearly USD 3 million in June compared to the same period a year ago, despite the addition of new gambling centers in Anderson and Shelbyville. Indiana casinos generated about USD 78.6 million in tax revenue for the state last month, a drop from USD 81.5 million last June, according to figures released today by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

The state of Indiana sees the need to try and compete with casinos in other states. The expansion of casino gambling is happening quickly around the United States, and competition for the gambling dollars is growing. Indiana has just passed a new rule that could help bring high roller gamblers into their casinos. Junketeers will have lower registration fees and will also no longer have to be a licensed casino supplier.

The Cordish Company today opened a temporary casino on the grounds of Indiana Downs, about 20 miles southeast of Indianapolis, Ind. Cordish also is part of a group, with the Hard Rock franchise, bidding to operate a state-owned casino at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., that would be the nation’s fourth Hard Rock resort casino. In Indiana, competing Hoosier Park, about 25 miles northeast of Indianapolis opened its casino on the grounds last Monday.

Indianapolis (WISH) - Two new casinos have each tentatively scheduled openings in the next two weeks. At Hoosier Park in Anderson and Indiana Downs in Shelbyville, horses will no longer be the only thing to gamble on. "I'm feeling some elation that we got to this point and hopefully we pass our tests today and I can't wait to open to the general public," said Jim Brown of the Hoosier Park Casino.

Harrah’s Entertainment announced it received approval from the Indiana Gaming Commission for the proposed acquisition of Harrah’s by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P. and TPG Capital. The transaction remains subject to approval by other jurisdictions in which Harrah’s subsidiaries operate and other conditions to closing set forth in the agreement and plan of merger entered into on December 19, 2006.

French Lick, Indiana -- The French Lick Resort and Casino -- hailed as a key to a potential economy recovery for Southern Indiana -- continues to wage an uphill financial struggle eight months after opening. French Lick continues to lag Indiana's 10 other casinos in every significant category -- including admissions, gross revenues and the average amount it wins from patrons at each slot machine and table game chair, state figures show.

Indianapolis (AP) - Indiana’s riverboat casinos have paid nearly USD 300,000 in fines over the last decade for letting in 90 underage gamblers despite rules that say patrons must be 21 years old to enter. The casino industry says it works to prevent those under 21 from getting onto riverboats, but the problem is becoming similar to the underage drinking issue for bars and liquor stores.