The Price Is Right Live will make its first stop at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana at 7 p.m. Oct. 17. The touring, non-televised stage show invites randomly selected audience members to play for prizes. Doors open at 5 p.m.; the casino’s event listing says guests can register to be considered as contestants.
The casino describes the production as “an interactive, non-televised, live version of the iconic game show,” separate from the TV broadcast, according to Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. The event listing names games including the Big Wheel, Plinko, Cliffhangers and the Showcase.
The production has played the region before, with past runs at Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville and The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Oct. 17 performance is its first at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
How Audience Members Become Contestants
Guests can scan a QR code in the theater lobby to be considered for contestants’ row, according to the Tribune. The show's official site says contestants must be at least 18. For this Hard Rock event, however, tickets are for guests 21 and older; prices start at $40.35.
The Tribune reports that prizes on the tour include cash, appliances, vacations and cars. The live production brings familiar game-show elements to a stage setting, without the television broadcast.
The Host Who Learned From Bob Barker Himself
Fronting the tour is Todd Newton, a 56-year-old host originally from St. Louis who is now based in Key West, Florida. Newton isn't new to game-show hosting duties tied to this franchise — he previously anchored the Las Vegas incarnation of Price Is Right Live from 2006 to 2013, when it was housed at the former Bally's Casino and Hotel property. He has said the stage version plays out much like what viewers see on television, minus the cameras and commercial delays.
Newton also told the Tribune that Bob Barker, the longtime television host who died at age 99 in August 2023, mentored him. The account gives Newton’s perspective on the show’s legacy, rather than an official tally of its pricing games.
The Tribune also reports that Newton hosted Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck, Game Show Network’s 2002 revival of Press Your Luck. The original 1980s show was hosted by Peter Tomarken, who died in 2006 at age 63.
A Franchise Nearing Its Own Milestone
None of this happens in a vacuum for the underlying franchise. The Price Is Right first debuted on television on Sept. 4, 1972, and is set to mark its 55th anniversary in 2027 — context that adds a bit of weight to the touring show's continued stops through casino markets like Northwest Indiana. The production's promotional materials claim that, over more than 20 years on the road, fans nationwide have won more than $15 million in prizes, according to Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana's own listing.
Venue Access and Casino Context
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana says all Hard Rock Live events are for guests 21 and older, and valid photo ID is required for entry to the casino and venue, according to its Hard Rock Live information. The casino says the venue seats 2,700 and advertises free live performances every Friday and Saturday at its Hard Rock Cafe and Council Oak Bar stages, separate from the ticketed show at Hard Rock Live; those details appear on the casino’s venue page and entertainment listings. For statewide context, an Indiana Gaming Commission-commissioned 2025 gaming-market analysis says the state’s commercial casinos generated $3 billion in adjusted gross receipts for the 12-month period ending July 2025. That statewide figure does not provide Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana’s individual revenue or tax contribution.
It's worth noting this isn't the version fronted by current TV host Drew Carey — it's a separately licensed stage production built for touring rather than broadcast. For Northwest Indiana audiences who caught earlier runs in Merrillville or Hammond, the Oct. 17 date at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana offers a fresh crack at contestants' row, the Big Wheel, and whatever showcase awaits whoever gets called down.
