Blue Chip Riverboat Drops an Anchor on Competition

The owners of the Blue Chip Casino premiered their $170 million riverboat to its awaiting public on Tuesday. The grand opening, unfortunately, is shadowed by a looming threat.  Next year, an Indian-operated casino will be opening in Michigan, only a few miles down the road.   

Blue Chip’s new riverboat has grown significantly.  As a matter of fact it is currently the largest casino boat listed in the U.S. Coast Guard registry.  Its home is on a Lake Michigan tributary.  Onboard, the boat has 50% more gambling space and 20% more slot machines and table games than the old riverboat. 

Officials of Boyd Gaming, owners of Blue Chip, say the new, larger casino was necessary to keep in stride with competition.  Not only do they have to compete with the land based casino being built this year by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in New Buffalo, Michigan, but there are also the four other Indiana casinos that sit on Lake Michigan.

Ed Feigenbaum, editor of the Indiana Gaming Insight newsletter, more than agreed with Boyd Gaming’s assessment of the situation.  “You're not just competing against other casinos,” he said. “You're competing against sporting events, concerts, football and basketball. You want to continue to stay on the move regardless.”

Rob Stillwell, a vice president of Boyd Gaming, is very confident in his company’s new venue.  “I think Blue Chip will really stand out.  We've really raised the bar for all of northern Indiana. You have no idea you're even on a riverboat.”  Indeed, the Blue Chip riverboat sprawls across 102,000-square-feet, featuring over 180 hotel rooms, three restaurants, an entertainment lounge, and a coffee shop. 

Business aside, Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie is simply pleased with the structure itself.  “It's beautiful.  It's a great improvement over the other one in terms of design and aesthetics. There's a lot of comfort and it's roomier.”

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