Aristocrat Technologies, Inc., and Boyd Gaming Corporation on Monday said they have partnered on using Aristocrat's cashless wagering digital wallet technology at Boyd’s Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana.
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The two companies said the move to cashless gaming has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many regulators asking manufacturers to upgrade their cashless offerings.
According to Aristocrat, the technology is part of a new “Resort Wallet” feature, in which guests place cash on account at the cashier cage, then use their player loyalty card to access those funds on the casino floor – meaning players will not have to handle cash at slot machines or redeem tickets.
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The first step will see slot machine players at the Blue Chip Casino use their B Connected player loyalty card to place wagers and cash out credits. The companies said the next level will be expanding access to the digital wallet at table games, restaurants and other amenities at the casino.
If this digital wallet technology is well received by patrons, and is approved by regulators, Aristocrat and Boyd said they intend to expand it to additional Boyd Gaming properties across the country.
“Building on our strategic partnership with Aristocrat, Boyd Gaming continues to add best-in-class mobile cashless wagering and contactless solutions that will greatly enhance the patron experience at our properties,” Blake Rampmaier, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Boyd Gaming, said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to partner with Boyd to bring this new and exciting solution to their patrons,” said Cath Burns, Executive Vice President of Customer Experience Solutions for Aristocrat.
Introduction to Indiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
Indiana slot machine casino gambling consists of eleven commercial casinos, two pari-mutuel wagering racetracks, and one tribal casino.
Indiana does not offer payout limits but does provide annual and monthly return statistics for its non-tribal casinos.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Indiana*
The minimum legal gambling age in Indiana does not depend upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 21
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
Indiana’s 1851 constitution banned lotteries, historically interpreted by courts to mean all gambling. In 1988, Indiana approved a constitutional amendment removing this ban. Within months, cities with economic difficulties had casino proposals.
In 2007, Indiana allowed horse tracks to have as many as 2,000 electronic gaming machines. Further, the state legislature approved land-based casinos in 2015. Also, in 2015, the state legislature approved a measure allowing riverboat casinos to move into a land-based casino facility if located on their current property.
The state of Indiana has a federally-recognized American Indian tribe. In 2015, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians successfully negotiated a tribal-state compact subsequently approved by the U.S. Department of Interior.
By the compact’s terms, the tribal casino could only have Class II bingo-style gaming machines. In early 2018, the tribe opened its first tribal casino.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Indiana
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Indiana if it is 40 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in Indiana
The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) regulates gaming in Indiana. The IGC offers comprehensive annual reports on all aspects of legal gaming in Indiana. Indiana’s two other gaming commissions regulate the Hoosier Lottery and Indiana Horse Racing.
The Indiana Gaming Commission has a law enforcement arm called the Gaming Control Division. Its primary role is to investigate illegal gambling. Enforcement of illegal gambling at bars and taverns is by the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.
Casinos in Indiana
There are eleven commercial casinos, two pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, and one American Indian tribal casino in Indiana.
The largest casino in Indiana is Horseshoe Casino Hammond with 2,123 gaming machines, 116 table games, and a 34-table poker room.
The second-largest casino is Indiana Grand Racing Casino with 2,020 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Indiana
Indiana’s thirteen commercial casinos include its original ten riverboat casinos, an additional land-based casino, and two pari-mutuel wagering racetracks with slot machines. These non-tribal casinos are:
- Ameristar East Chicago located 11 miles northwest of Gary.
- Belterra Casino Resort in Florence located 116 miles southeast of Indianapolis on the Kentucky border.
- Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa in Michigan City located 26 miles northeast of Gary.
- French Lick Resort located 100 miles south of Indianapolis.
- Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg located 98 miles southeast of Indianapolis on the Ohio border.
- Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson located 43 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
- Horseshoe Hammond located 20 miles northwest of Gary.
- Caesars Southern Indiana in Elizabeth located 123 miles south of Indianapolis across the river from Louisville, Kentucky.
- Indiana Grand Racing Casino in Shelbyville located 27 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
- Majestic Star Casinos I & II in Gary.
- Rising Star Casino Resort located 105 miles southeast of Indianapolis on the Kentucky border.
- Tropicana Evansville located 169 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Tribal Casinos in Indiana
Indiana’s tribal casino is the Four Winds Casino South Bend located 150 miles north of Indianapolis directly east of Chicago on the border to Michigan. It offers 1,800 Class II competition-style gaming machines alongside live poker tables.
Poker has been interpreted in Indiana as a skill-based game and, therefore, just another Class II game. It is considered a competition-style game as players bet against each other and aren’t betting “against the house” or casino.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Indiana slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Indiana is:
- North: Michigan Slots
- East: Ohio Slots
- South: Kentucky Slots
- West: Illinois Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Indiana.
Our Indiana Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Indiana? If so, join our new Indiana slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Indiana. Join us!
Payout Returns in Indiana
Indiana has not set minimum or maximum theoretical payout return limits. Monthly and annual return statistics are available, although none are available from the tribal casino. The annual reports detail return statistics by slot machine denomination.
The IGC’s 2019 annual report has Electronic Gaming Device (EGD) COIN-IN on page 41. The next page has EGD Win. Divide WIN by COIN-IN, then subtract the result from 100% to calculate a player’s win percentage.
For your convenience, I have calculated the mid-2018 through mid-2019 player win percentages for each casino below. In addition to an annual report, the Indiana Gaming Commission also offers monthly revenue reports by the 11th of the following month.
Again, use COIN IN and WIN to calculate the player’s win percentage. Unlike the annual reports, these monthly reports do not contain return statistics by slot machine denomination.
These Annual and Monthly Player Win% are:
- Ameristar East Chicago: 89.91% (annual) and 90.05% (Nov. 2019)
- Belterra Casino Resort: 90.78% (annual) and 90.82% (Nov. 2019)
- Blue Chip Casino: 91.40% (annual) and 91.23% (Nov. 2019)
- French Lick Resort: 91.56% (annual) and 91.05% (Nov. 2019)
- Hollywood Lawrenceburg: 89.96% (annual) and 90.23% (Nov. 2019)
- Harrah’s Hoosier Park: 91.08% (annual) and 90.63% (Nov. 2019)
- Horseshoe Hammond: 90.07% (annual) and 90.04% (Nov. 2019)
- Caesars Southern Indiana: 89.99% (annual) and 90.67% (Nov. 2019)
- Indiana Grand Racing: 90.90% (annual) and 90.34% (Nov. 2019)
- Majestic Star Casino I: 90.26% (annual) and 90.21% (Nov. 2019)
- Majestic Star Casino II: 89.84% (annual) and 89.90% (Nov. 2019)
- Rising Star Casino Resort: 91.38% (annual) and 92.07% (Nov. 2019)
- Tropicana Evansville: 89.60% (annual) and 89.93% (Nov. 2019)
Further, the mid-2018 through mid-2019 statewide annual player’s win percentage is 90.52%. The monthly statewide player’s win% was slightly less at 90.45%.
The casino with the highest annual return was French Lick. The highest monthly return went to Rising Star. It’s worth mentioning that French Lick had the second-highest annual return and Rising Star the third-highest in the previous year.
Best Paying Casino Slot Machines
The casino with the lowest annual return was, once again, this year, Tropicana Evansville. Its monthly return was the second-lowest while Majestic Star II had the lowest.
Summary of Indiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
Indiana slot machine casino gambling consists of 10 riverboat casinos, one land-based casino, two pari-mutual racetracks with slot machines, and a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming machines.
Indiana’s casinos don’t operate under theoretical payout limits. However, non-tribal casinos have annual return statistics by casino and slot machine denomination. Monthly return statistics are by the casino only.
Annual Progress in Indiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling
In the last year, Horseshoe Casino Hotel Southern Indiana became Caesars Southern Indiana. Hoosier Park has become Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
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