The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Four Winds South Bend will open at 4 p.m., Tuesday, January 16. The 175,000 square foot venue was built on 166 acres of tribal trust land in southwest South Bend, Indiana. It’s the first Indiana casino owned and operated by a Native American tribe. Four Winds Casino Chief Operating Officer Frank Freedman said, “It’s amazing we broke ground on this project in December 2016, just over a year ago. We are opening as planned.”
The facility’s architecture reflects the tribe’s heritage, with a basket weave-inspired design in the front atrium and a large fireplace at the entrance. Pokagon Band Vice Chairman Bob Moody explained the name Potawatomi means “people of the fire.” He said once the fireplace is lit, it will never be extinguished. “This is an area that Leopold Pokagon and the people of his time lived in. We’ve put together the last piece of the puzzle for our people, to bring together a piece of their ancestral heritage,” Moody said. He noted the bend in the St. Joseph River is where the Potawatomi tribe met with European settlers for trading.
On the 55,000 square foot gaming floor, visitors will find 1,800 electronic gaming machines but no live table games, according to the tribe’s Class II gaming compact. The property also features dining options including the Buffet, Timbers Fast Food & Deli, White Birch Market and Kankakee Grille, a casual fine dining restaurant.
In addition, the Copper Rock steakhouse will offer three private dining rooms, more than 300 wine selections and dry-aged steaks purchased from Allen Brothers of Chicago and aged at the Four Winds butcher shop in New Buffalo. It’s named for the pair of shining copper boulders at its entrance.
Other amenities include three bars, a players’ lounge, coffee shop and Outfitters retail, selling casino merchandise, gift items and sundries. Parking for 4,500 vehicles is available.
A tribal spokesperson said the project created 800 construction jobs and 1,200 permanent jobs.
The Pokagon Band will pay 2 percent of its net annual gaming revenue to the city of South Bend. In addition, the tribe will give $5 million over the next three years to various civic efforts and nonprofit organizations.
Four Winds South Bend is the fourth in the Pokagon Band’s Four Winds resort group. The other three are located in Michigan and include Four Winds New Buffalo, Four Winds Hartford and Four Winds Dowagiac.
The 5,000-member Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians lives primarily in a 10-county service area including four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. It’s headquartered in Dowagiac with a satellite office in South Bend.
