Construction has officially begun on the new, land-based Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary. Officials last week broke ground on the $300 million casino, which was approved by the Indiana General Assembly last year. The groundbreaking included representatives from Hard Rock International, state and local officials, and three members of the Jackson 5, who are from Gary. The 200,000-square-foot complex will include 1,650 slot machines and 80 table games; a sportsbook and bar; six restaurants, including a Hard Rock Cafe; a Rock Shop retail store and a 2,000-seat Hard Rock Live venue, according to the publication. A Hard Rock hotel is also planned for the site, though it is not expected to be added until a few years after the casino opens.
Indianapolis-based Spectacle Entertainment is developing the casino, which will replace the existing Majestic Star riverboat casinos on Lake Michigan. The new Hard Rock casino could open as early as the end of this year, but is more likely to open in the first quarter of 2021.