Do I even both researching hotels or will I not get anything at all? I have 3 kids ages 17, 10 & 6. 

It'll be slim pickings if there is anything at all remaining.

That being said, there are plenty of rooms available outside the housing block too. It's just a matter of how far of a commute.

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Alec Usticke, Fans of Gen Con Facebook Group

Yes, you will get a hotel at that time...in Chicago.

Seriously, though, there may still be things in the block, just not downtown (probably north end of the area), but there will still be rooms in the Indianapolis area available not in the block, just not downtown (unless you want to pay 600 a night or more).

You will be lucky to find something out in the boonies. Sorry man. My time is not much better. I booked outside the block. 

I got a similar time last year. Still managed to stay downtown for GenCon 50 - it just took checking the housing website every day, as much as I could.

Yeah, it's tedious, but it's the best method available if your housing lottery luck fails you.

I would say do some checking for a decent out of block hotel. Will likely have to be a ways out. But don't rush to book it for a couple months. Watch the housing portal. Rooms get canceled every year for various reasons and become open to attendees. Keep in mind though, Around June the outer hotels tend to start jacking up their prices too as they start seeing people booking them solid.
 

You won’t get a room downtown but you’ll be able to get one. You’ll just have to drive in and park is all.

Last year my time slot was around 10pm, and there were a few good deals left on outlying hotels near the airport and such.  I went online to do some research on travel sites to see which ones got the best reviews.  Quite honestly though, you can probably get out-of-block rates that are as good as the in-block rates for those same hotels.  Still, if there are any available it's worth taking the time to compare prices with those travels sites.  I found one last year about six miles out (kinda near the airport - I think it was a Hampton Inn), with REALLY good reviews and the in-block price beat the travel site prices by about $20/night or so.

Remember, you can always book a hotel and keep checking back on your My Housing page by using the "Manage Room" button to see if anything becomes available. Rooms are periodically put back into the system.

Mike Boozer
Customer Service & Event Team Manager
Gen Con LLC 

If you're going to be out of downtown anyway,. try booking a hotel now (preferably a cancelable one) on your own around the airport. It will likely not be too different in cost from the housing block.

I would advise you to not book rooms out there through the Gen Con housing system: you will be able to get a cheaper room with better cancellation terms direct from the hotel itself or a system like Hotels.com.  Such rooms are available right now for $90 a night, and will be for several months.

You can continue to check into the Gen Con hotel system periodically to see if you can snag a downtown room in block as they become available.

I feel your pain.  10:21 PM EST.  Not even worth checking tonight.  This makes several years in a row with lousy lottery time.  

It’s kind of a pain but if you stalk the housing portal, you can usually still get a downtown room.

I also received a very late housing portal time frame 10:53 pm. Eastern. I have to get up at 4:30 am eastern for work. So GG Gencon.

I stalked the housing portal last year and I saw rooms pop up downtown on more than 1 occasion. I was lucky and we were able to get the JW Marriott last year and we were just considering trying to move to The Westin or Marriott Indy Downtown. If you are patient and persistent you can find something.

Apparently not downtown.  But you will easily be able to get a room in Indianapolis.  They had rooms available last year as late as August.

Like I always say, room outside of downtown + car + daily parking in World Wonders garage is about as good as any downtown room.