Rebecca Richards, Tribal Chairwoman
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
Four Winds Casinos in Dowagiac, Hartford, New Buffalo, MI; Four Winds Casino in South Bend, IN
fourwindscasino.com
www.pokagonband-nsn.gov
ISSUES/OPPORTUNITIES: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi is focused on the expansion of our Four Winds Casino located in South Bend, IN, which is one of our most ambitious projects to date. The expansion of Four Winds South Bend will include a 23-story hotel tower with 317 hotel rooms featuring 83 suites. There will also be a spa, convention area, meeting space, a ballroom, lounge, bar & grille, an outdoor roof-top swimming pool, and terraces with spectacular views. The expansion of Four Winds South Bend has created 270 construction jobs and will create an additional 350 to 400 new jobs at the casino resort once construction is complete in the first quarter of 2023. The expanded resort will offer amenities and an entertainment experience this is not currently available in South Bend and Northwest Indiana.
LESSONS: Keeping the expansion of Four Winds South Bend on schedule during the pandemic posed many unique challenges for our Four Winds Casinos Executive Team, our project manager Square One, our construction contractors and workers, and our Pokagon Citizen employees on the job site. Fortunately, we have a very experienced team that were involved in the development of our four casinos as well as several expansion projects along the way. That experience coupled with the new experience gained in managing a construction project during the pandemic, will continue to inform our operations going forward.
FUTURE (SLOT FLOOR): Following approval of our Class III Gaming Compact with the State of Indiana in 2021, Four Winds South Bend now offers 16 table games including 21 + 3 with Top 3, Lucky Lucky Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps Bonus, Roulette, Bonus Spin Criss Cross Poker, Progressive Stud, Progressive Three Card with 6 card, and Roll to Win Craps. The installation of popular Class III slot titles is currently underway with some of the most popular games already available including Action Video Poker, Buffalo Link, Dragon Link, Money Link, Dollar Storm, Wheel of Fortune, and The Price is Right.