Northwest Indiana loss in casino revenues of 2014

December was the only month in 2014 in which the casinos had an overall year-on-year gain, earning USD 80.2 million in 2014 as compared to USD 75.7 million in December 2013.

That was largely due to better weather in 2014, Nita said. In 2013, snowy weekends and a wintry New Year's Eve drove down attendance and revenue.

The December revenue growth was the first monthly year-on-year increase since November 2013, Nita added.

But it wasn't enough to make up for revenue declines in the other 11 months of 2014. Total revenue for 2014 at the Northwest Indiana casinos was USD 974.8 million, as compared to USD1.05 billion in 2013.

Nita blamed the proliferation of slot machines in Illinois, including at "bars, taverns, scuba shops, florists and a variety of other businesses."

"That has become quite a powerful convenience play" for slot players, he said.

For the year, only Ameristar showed an increase, and that was only 0.4 percent, cashing in at USD 220.9 million. All other casinos saw their revenue percentages fall: 2.4 percent at Blue Chip, to USD 155.9 million; 10.7 percent at Horseshoe, to USD 435.8 million; 6.8 percent at Majestic Star I, to USD 95.2 million; and 17.8 percent at Majestic Star II, to USD 67.2 million.