5 Best Chicago Indiana Casinos (April 2024)

Gamers in the Eastern states of the Midwest have loads of opportunities to play casino games. Though the Nevada and New Jersey casinos are the main hotspots for gaming tourism, you don't need to travel that far to get your gaming action. Far from it, as there are plenty of top quality casinos in the Midwest. Indiana, or the Hoosier State, is a prime example. The state finally legalized landbased casinos in 1993, after numerous bills were turned down by the Senate.

On this page, we will look at the top casinos in East Chicago, Indiana. The city sits in Lake County and overlooks Michigan Lake. It is a prime destination for gamers not only from the Hoosier State but also from Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. If you need a place to stay, you can head to the casino hotels, and enjoy the luxurious amenities. For those who are travelling through and heading further Westwards, we can also recommend the casinos in Joliet Illinois.  Now, let's see what games and moneymaking opportunities East Chicago has to offer. We also review some casinos in nearby cities and counties.

1. Ameristar Casino

Ameristar Casino is docked at the Indiana Harbor in East Chicago. This is a classic riverboat casino hotel, where guests can come to stay and play some thrilling casino games. The venue opened in 1997 and its day to day activities are run by Penn Entertainment. The hotel has over 280 rooms including deluxe kind rooms, double queen, accessible and more. Ameristar has some of the best restaurants around, with everything from deli sandwiches to aged prime steaks. You can grab a bite to eat at Bugatti's Steakhouse, Noodle Bar, Sportsbook Restaurant or Club 38. There are also bars scattered across Ameristar, including some self-service areas on the gaming floor.

Ameristar has a 56,000 square foot casino, that is spread across three floors. It has over 1,000 slot machines, 40 table games, a Baccarat room and a sportsbook. Slot players can revel in the vast array of games, including classic reel slots, video slots, and jackpot games. The games have denominations from one cent up to $100 per spin. Ameristar does not only provide classic casino games such as Blackjack, Roulette and Craps but also a number of thrilling variants. You can try your luck on games of Top3 Blackjack, Sharp Shooter Craps, or High Card Flush.

Baccarat buffs have 19 tables to play at and can stake up to $25,000 per play. The sportsbook is one of the most popular features of Ameristar. Powered by Penn Play, this sportsbook offers bets on all sports including collegiate sports. You can also wager parlays, round robins, head to head bets, custom teasers and loads more.

2. Horseshoe Casino Hammond (Hammond)

The Horseshoe Casino Hammond is located in Hammond, 10 minutes by car North of East Chicago. Horseshoe Casino is owned by Vici Properties and run by Caesars Entertainment. As such, you can expect it to have the full set of classic Vegas casino games. The riverboat casino has loads to offer its guests, including event spaces, entertainment venues and restaurants. If you are hungry and don't mind splashing out a little cash, then you must check out Jack Binion's Steak. Those who would rather save their cash for the casino games can get tasty bites at the Foo Noodle Bar or The Eatery.

Horseshoe Casino has two floors, of which one is fully dedicated to gaming. The main gaming floor is 350,000 square feet big, and has more than 1,800 slots and 60 gaming tables. When you step inside the casino, you will feel as if you were in Bellagio, Caesars Palace or any other top casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The action is non stop and you can play games of Blackjack, Roulette, Craps or Baccarat. There is also a poker room, with regular tournaments and cash games of No Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha.

You can also try out the casino poker-style games of Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud and Ultimate Texas Hold'em to have a quick warm up before going head to head against your fellow poker players. The slots and video poker are of the highest quality, and you can also find Asian games in the Le Cheng room. To top it off, there is a Caesars Sportsbook with an extensive range of sports bets.

3. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana (Gary)

Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana is on 5400 West 29th Avenue in Gary, just outside East Chicago. This casino is a 10 minute drive from the center of the city and has loads to offer its visitors. There is live music at the Hard Rock Cafe & Council Oak Bar, where all sorts of music acts come to play. DJs, local rock bands, blues bands, tribute acts and country acts are all just the tip of the iceberg. The venue also has some prime diners, including YouYu Noodle Bar, Council Oak Steaks & Seafood and the Hard Rock Cafe.

The Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana has over 1,700 slot machines and 80 gaming tables where you can grab some action. You can take your luck to the limit on the slots and video poker machines, where there are jackpots as high as $100,000. Or push your limits further up and go to the High Limit Room where you can play machines with denominations up to $100 per round. The casino has a wide range of table games, including Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and its “Carnival Games”. The latter includes a wild assortment of poker-style card games and games with massive jackpots.

You can try the likes of Criss Cross Poker, Carnival Progressive Jackpot Wager, DJ Wild Stud or Three Card Sabotage. Then, there are loads of Asian games that you can try in the Asian Games High Limit Room. No gaming venue is complete without a sportsbook. The Hard Rock Sportsbook can be found at the north end of the casino and has a diverse set of bets at market-competitive prices.

4. Blue Chip Tower (Michigan City)

This riverboat casino is owned by Boyd Gaming and is located in Michigan City. It is approximately 40 minutes by car from East Chicago. The casino hotel opened in 1997 and has more than 480 rooms in its 22-storey tower. There is also a spa and fitness centre in the complex, where you can unwind. The Rocks Lounge is worth a visit too, where there are exquisite cocktails up for grabs and live entertainment. Blue Chip has four restaurants, the best of which is William B's Steakhouse, named after the founder of Boyd, Billy Boyd.

Heading to the gaming floor, you will find over 1,700 gaming machines and loads of table games. If you are a fan of classic casino games, you can head to the live action tables and play games of Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and more. The gaming repertoire at Blue Chip Casino also includes Three Card Poker Progressive, 21+3 With Top 3, Heads Up Hold'em and Mississippi Stud Progressive. Slots players have tonnes of hot games to explore, including themed slots, games with bonus features, and all kinds of jackpot games.

If you are looking to score some jackpots, then you can try the likes of Triple Gold Bars, Five Times Pay or Rakin' Bacon, all of which have progressive jackpots. Of course, you shouldn't rule out table games such as Mississippi Stud Progressive, Three Card Poker Progressive or Caribbean Stud Jackpot. But perhaps the greatest feature of them all is the FanDuel Sportsbook. At this hugely popular sportsbook, you can find some amazing betting opportunities.

5. Bally's Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

Bally's is a reputable company that runs casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. This casino is currently located in the Medinah Temple Building in Chicago, Illinois but is scheduled to open a full resort. Bally's Chicago will be located on the North Branch of the Chicago River. The project will cost around $1.6 billion to develop and will have a full range of amenities. The plan includes a hotel with 100 suites, an outdoor music venue, six restaurants and a 3,000 seat theatre. The casino will have 3,400 slot machines and 173 gaming tables.

In the meantime though, you can visit the temporary casino at Medinah Temple. The casino has 800 slots and over 50 live action tables. Bally's has some of the hottest slots around, including Buffalo Gold, Invaders Attack From The Planet Moolah, and Huff N' More Puff. The gaming tables are spread out across two floors. You can play all sorts of casino classics such as Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, Roulette and more. There are also plenty of Asian games that you can try out.