Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana has a target opening date.
Joe Branchik, a representative for the casino, in an email to Northwest Indiana Business Magazine said the site is tentatively set to open to the public at 5 p.m. on May 14. The opening date is contingent on the casino receiving all necessary approvals from regulators.
The casino is on the northwest corner of the highway interchange at Burr Street and I-94 in Gary. Construction began in January 2020 and continued throughout the pandemic.
The casino is a two-phase $300 million development. Phase one includes, a 200,000-square-foot casino, six food venues, a sportsbook, a retail shop, a 1,954-seat showroom and more than 1,600 slot machines and 80 table games.
Phase two of the project includes the addition of a 200-plus-room hotel and a multi-level parking garage.
About 600 employees from the Majestic Star Casino in Gary will transfer to the Hard Rock once it becomes operational. It is projected the new casino will hire another 800 people in assorted roles.
Hard Rock casino operators said there are still more than 300 jobs to fill before the site opens. About half of the available jobs are in food service with the rest in other casino operations.
“We realize this has been a tough year for people in the hospitality industry and we are very happy to be in a position to help so many of them get back to the business of working,” said Dawn Reynolds-Pettit, the casino’s vice president of human resources. “There’s no better way to find a fresh start than with a new career.”
