The new Hard Rock Casino owned by Gary will open its doors for business on May 14 at 5 p.m.

Originally, the “Rocksino” was targeting a grand opening on New Year’s Eve 2020, but several factors caused delays.

Northern Indiana Hard Rock Casino

The two aging Majestic Star riverboat casinos will be replaced by the new Rocksino.

The Gary area has been awaiting this project for a long time.

The Northern Indiana Hard Rock Casino is a structure that spans 200,000 square feet and will house more than 1,600 slot machines along with 80 table games.

In addition to that, there is a 2,000-seat entertainment area and potential locations for restaurants.

In January 2020, Spectacle Entertainment commenced the project, with the surviving members of the Jackson Five even making an appearance.

Since then, the journey to actually get things up and running has been a rollercoaster.

Opening of Hard Rock Indiana delayed due to Coronavirus and thieves

Hard Rock’s original plans for the Rocksino were disrupted by COVID-19.

The onset of the pandemic forced construction to come to a standstill. As workers were confined to their homes rather than being on-site, the whole project experienced a several-week hiatus.

Regrettably, the situation was exploited by thieves.

They forcibly entered storage containers holding construction equipment and pilfered concrete cutters, sweepers, generators, and other tools, amounting to over $25,000.

This caused even further delays as all the equipment needed replacement before construction could continue.

Even when the project resumed, issues with the casino’s parent company surfaced, creating another obstacle.

Scandal involving Spectacle Entertainment and Hard Rock

Last year, Spectacle Entertainment, the parent company of the Rocksino, found itself in a bit of a predicament.

The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) discovered a connection between a Spectacle executive and a political money laundering scheme.

The executive, Rod Ratcliff, did not exactly cooperate with the way the IGC handled the situation.

The commission attempted to exclude Ratcliff from Indiana’s gaming industry, a move that would have necessitated him to sell his Spectacle Entertainment shares.

Ratcliff declined to obey the order and took legal action against the IGC in an attempt to overturn the situation.

The whole situation lasted for months.

The IGC was eventually forced to temporarily pause the Hard Rock casino project until the situation could be resolved.

Eventually, the gaming commission settled with Ratcliff, allowing the Rocksino project to proceed as planned.

Chicago Area Hard Rock Casino

With things finally resolved, the casino can now open without any issues.

Workers at Majestic Star have achieved a significant victory.

Had the legal battle extended over a longer period, the casino employees might have remained jobless until the resolution.

Thankfully, the new Rocksino was never left empty due to legal problems, a situation that could have possibly occurred.

The Hard Rock’s grand opening on May 14 signifies the readiness of Indiana’s newest and most impressive casino building to cater to the gambling needs of people in Gary and the Chicago area for many years ahead.

The sister property of The Hard Rock in Terre Haute is also progressing. The Terre Haute project was announced to break ground in April at a recent IGC meeting.

Hopefully, everything goes smoothly for that property.