Beginning August 5, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi started offering blackjack, roulette and other Class III games at its Four Winds Casino in South Bend, Indiana. The expansion, including upgraded slot machines, is allowed under the gaming compact signed earlier this year by the tribe and state officials. In exchange, the tribe will pay the state 8 percent of the casino’s annual net win.
Tribal Council Chairman Matthew Wesaw noted the compact, which took more than one year to negotiate, is an important step for tribal sovereignty as the first of its kind in state history. He said, “There were many who did not believe we could negotiate a gaming compact with Indiana. I was not one of the nonbelievers. I knew the right time would come, along with the right people, who would be in office and at the table.”
Wesaw noted the Four Winds Casino created hundreds of temporary constructions jobs and approximately 100 permanent new jobs. The compact also includes a $1 million education fund that will allow Pokagon citizens to attend state-funded colleges or vocational schools for free. “It’s a great day to be Pokagon and we are very excited for what the future holds,” Wesaw said. The remarks were his last as tribal chairman, as he’ll be stepping down as the Pokagon Band’s longest-serving chairperson later this month.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb commented, “When Jeffersonville does well, South Bend benefits. When South Bend or St. Joe or Elkhart County’s doing well, Vanderburgh County does well. So, this is a big win for the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indiana and for the state of Indiana.”
Four Winds Chief Operating Officer Frank Freedman noted 16 table games now are open for play, but converting the casino’s 1,400-plus slot machines to Class III is expected to take several months. Freedman also noted the South Bend casino is in the midst of an expansion, adding 40,000 square feet of new gaming area in 2022. A 23-story, 317-room hotel tower with a spa, convention area, meeting space, ballroom, lounge, bar, outdoor rooftop swimming pool and terraces is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2023.
He stated, “We are very excited for this next phase of development and appreciate all of the hard work and dedication of all Four Winds employees to help us reach this important milestone. We are excited and can’t wait to show everyone the finished product once construction is complete.”
