Chicago Cubs to blame for casino revenue decline in Indiana

"The entire area had baseball fever, both die-hard Cubs fans and those excited in the heat of the moment," said Dan Nita, senior vice president and general manager of Horseshoe Hammond Casino.

He said there were 15 playoff days during October, many of which took place on weekends, the busiest days for casinos.

Nita said business would be normal on those days, until around 6 p.m., when casino patrons would head to another venue to watch the game.

"When a Chicago sports team does well, we're usually negatively impacted," said Matt Schuffert, senior vice president and general manager of Ameristar Casino in East Chicago.

He said while their Stadium Sports Bar and Grill did big business during the team's weeks-long run for the World Series trophy, the casino side of the business was lighter than normal.

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Only Majestic Star I in Gary showed a revenues gain, bringing in $7.26 million in revenues compared to $7.04 million the previous November

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Ameristar Casino in East Chicago posted a decline of less than 2 percent, raking in $17.8 million compared to $18.14 million the previous November.

Despite the revenue drop, Schuffert said October was a strong month for the casino, considering the entire Indiana and Illinois casino market was down almost 6.5 percent year-over-year.

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Nita said the Illinois casino market was hit worse, with an 8.5 percent slide compared to November 2015

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Schuffert added that table games at Ameristar were up nearly 20 percent.

"We definitely had some strong growth. I'm feeling pretty good about it," Schuffert said.

On the slot side, there were more winners than losers, he said.

Year-over-year monthly revenues at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond dropped 6 percent. with $34.47 million in revenues last month compared to $36.32 million the same month last year. Majestic Star II in Gary took in $5 million in revenues compared to $5.46 million.