DAY ONE: 9 a.m. — Rush hour

By Jessica Kerman

June 07, 2008 10:16 am

— 9 a.m.:
Hundreds were lined up outside the entrance of the new Hoosier Park casino for its opening day. Far back in the crowd, some were oblivious to the ribbon-cutting ceremony near the doors.
Up front, officials gave their ceremonial thank-yous to state officials and city leaders, many of whom were sitting in the VIP seats.
“Are you ready to be thrilled?” asked the last presenter to the crowd. “We’re going to cut a ribbon and enjoy!”
Security started greeting the swarm of people rushing through the doors. As if warming up, some made the motions of pulling the slot handles as they worked their way through the crowd into the casino.
One elderly woman slowly pushed her walker, decorated with a sign that said, “I stop for bingo.”
“She’s got to change that to ‘I stop for casino,’” remarked Ginger Shaw, a member of the marketing staff at Hoosier Park.
Walking through the double doors, patrons seemed almost overwhelmed by the flashing lights on the casino floor. Classic rock music overpowered the ringing of the penny slots.
Sharon Kennedy’s first stop was the quarter slot machine.
“I put $20 in, and I got $20 out,” she said as she sat at a 50-cent machine. “The dollar (slots) are my favorite.”
Rob Davis, of Muncie, sat at his first machine.
“I’m a lightweight gambler,” he said. “I was here Thursday (the test day), and I like it so far. I’ve been here 10 minutes, and I’ve already lost $50.”
A glance away, men and women were crowded around a blackjack table with a digital dealer on a video screen.
The seats at familiar slot-machine games filled up quickly. The “Star Wars” and “Wizard of Oz” seats were never empty for more than a minute. The “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” machines kept on spinning, and the “Deal and No Deal” games continued to ring.
Jane Spears had better luck than Davis. Spears, who came with her mother from Van Buren, Ind., said she was frustrated at first. “Because I put in $600,” she said as she sat in the High Limits area for high-stakes gambling.
But her fortune changed suddenly as she played a $5 Game King, which deals electronic poker. The light — known as a “candle” — atop the machine flashed white and fuchsia as she hit a $4,000 jackpot only 10 minutes into play.
“I’m kind of nervous about it being so close,” she said of Hoosier Park’s proximity to her home. “My boyfriend says before long we’re going to lose the car, the farm, and soon we’ll have to drive the golf cart here.”