WinStar Casino Boat, East Chicago, Indiana

The WinStar is a former riverboat casino vessel docked on the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal in East Chicago, Indiana, once operated as part of the Ameristar Casino East Chicago property. Indiana's 1990s riverboat gaming law required licensed casinos to operate aboard boats, leading to the construction of purpose-built vessels like this one along Lake Michigan's industrial harbors. Ameristar Casino East Chicago later became Golden Nugget Lake Charles under new ownership, part of a broader consolidation of Midwest riverboat gaming properties. The canal itself connects to Lake Michigan and remains lined with steel mills and other heavy industry that predate the casino's arrival by decades.

Photo taken in February 2024.