The area's gaming market has become more competitive, and the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City is ready to rise to the occasion.

The Blue Chip is building a 22-story hi-rise hotel which serves as a 130-million dollar vote of confidence in the casino's long term viability here.

The Blue Chip has been around for ten years, and management says it is ready to evolve.

The Four Winds in New Buffalo now has a bigger casino, but when the high rise is completed next year the Blue Chip will have a much bigger hotel.

As the drawings indicate it is the kind of thing you might expect to see on the Vegas strip.

So the question is; “is this town big enough for both the Blue Chip and the Four Winds?”

The Blue Chip's new hotel will stand 22-stories high and the Blue Chip vice president general manager, Ted Bogich believes that from the eighth floor up guests will be able to see the lake.

“You will have some spectacular views of the lake, and you will be able to see al the way to Chicago, you'll be so high,” says Bogich.

In the hotel project, the Blue Chip sees a way to continue to grow in what has become a more competitive gaming market.

For instance, since the bulk of the Blue Chip's business now comes from a half hour, or an hour away managers say adding more hotel space will welcome those visitors to stay the night.

“To drive five six hours to know you're going to be there for an entire weekend, overnight, we really think it transforms us from being more of a daytrip market to being more a regional destination,” says Bogich.

In all there will be 486 rooms available to customers, 300 in the new high rise and 180 in the existing hotel.

Now the Blue Chip will not only have more hotel space than the Four Winds but more rooms than any casino in the area.

However hotel rooms are not all the Blue Chip plans to offer their guests.

The building will also include a 10-thousand square foot spa, Laporte County's largest convention center, and a 1200 seat entertainment complex.

Bogich says, “Competition makes us better, the more there is to attract people to this part of the market and to northwest Indiana, is good for all of us. When you see casinos all in clusters, all improving and giving people more reasons to come and visit it generally helps grow the market and it’s good for everybody.”
So the theory is that this town is apparently big enough for both of them.