Indiana Live! Opens - Thousands try their luck at casino

Guests played slots at the Indiana Live! Casino on Friday night. The casino opened the doors early to accomodate the crowd.

Thousands lined up for hours Friday to be among the first inside the swanky new Indiana Live Casino.

Parking was a challenge, as cars were lined up bumper-to-bumper at the exit on 1-74.

Doors opened a half-hour ahead of the scheduled 6:30 p.m. opening to accommodate the large crowd.

“Crowd is not a word that we can use tonight,” said Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson. “It’s quite an understatement.”

Gamers took quickly to the new casino, which is attached to the Indiana Downs horse track.

Shortly after the doors opened, lines formed at the 233,000-square-foot casino’s restaurants and bars. Most of the seats in front of the 2,000 slot machines were occupied.

Indiana Live! General Manager Mark Hemmerle was pleased with the turnout. His staff was optimistic that the casino would reach its capacity of 8,000 visitors.