Editor’s Note: This is an extended version of the article that appears in the October/November 2024 issue of Evansville Business.
Bally’s Evansville says a recent shakeup of amenities at its property will enhance the experience for guests — those who come to wager, dine, listen to music, or some combination of them all.
Sports fans who come to the casino at 421 N.W. Riverside Drive can watch game action and place bets. Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar, now open in the space formerly occupied by Tap House, offers daily lunch, dinner, and drinks, as well as sports betting kiosks and windows and large TV screens.
Sports betting is growing statewide, according to data from the Indiana Gaming Commission. In June, Hoosiers wagered nearly $298.2 million – up 33 percent from June 2023 – with operators collecting $30.5 million in adjusted gross revenue, a 56 percent year-over-year increase. The totals were decreases from May, but PlayIndiana.com notes that’s because there are fewer sports to wager on in the summer months.
When sports betting was legalized in Indiana in 2019, Evansville’s casino was owned by Tropicana, and sports betting was licensed through British gambling company William Hill. Betting windows, kiosks, and screens were placed in what had opened as 421 Lounge, a live music and entertainment venue inside Bally’s Evansville.
Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar is preparing for an influx of bettors by serving up new menu items. Patrons can order appetizers such as Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds, truffle tots, and buffalo cauliflower; sandwiches like cheesesteaks and breaded pork tenderloins (which doubles as the official sandwich of Indiana); entrees including smash burgers, braised short ribs, and country fried steak; as well as desserts. For your glass, there are 18 beers on tap, plus rotating seasonal brews and an additional eight brands in bottles and cans.
With Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar now open 9 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, 421 Lounge has brought back live music from 8 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Bally’s Evansville guests can hear party band Dr. Zhivegas July 26-27, rock cover band That’s What She Said Aug. 2-3, country musicians Savannah Jack Aug. 9-10, and country-tinged The Hootz Aug. 16-17.
The 421 Lounge still will have some sports activity at times when live entertainment isn’t happening: Large screens are perched on the walls, and sports betting kiosks remain there and elsewhere on the property.
The changes are bringing more energy to the casino property, says Ali Hashemy, executive director of nongaming operations at Bally’s Evansville.
“When Bally started initiating their Bally Bet sports in Indiana, we decided, why not offer something that had a much better experience for people who might like to place a bet, have something to eat, and have a beverage of choice, and bring entertainment back to where we used to have it,” Hashemy says.
The restaurant at Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The bar is open from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily, and casino gaming is available around the clock.
