Thanks to its recently completed 98,000-square-foot gaming floor expansion, Four Winds Casino in South Bend, Indiana, owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, now offers 1,900 slot machines, more than any other casino in the state. Horseshoe Hammond has 1,704 slots, Hard Rock in Gary offers 1,648 and Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City has 1,440.
In addition, Four Winds has 56 video poker games in a dedicated area and a new high-limit area with 46 additional slots that take wagers of up to $100 per spin.
The casino also has 27 table games, including blackjack, roulette and house-banked poker variations, open from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week. Four Winds Chief Operating Officer Frank Freedman said, “We are very excited for guests to experience our new slots and table games, and we look forward to showing more of what Four Winds South Bend has to offer in the coming months.”
The expanded gaming floor is part of an ongoing multi-million-dollar project including a new 23-story hotel tower with 234 rooms and 83 suites, a spa, convention area with a ballroom and meeting space, cafe, outdoor swimming pool and terraces with spectacular views. The expansion has required 350 construction workers and will create up to 400 permanent jobs when it’s completed in early 2023.
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Tribal Chairman Rebecca Richards said, “It’s hard to believe we opened our first Four Winds Casino location 15 years ago in New Buffalo, Michigan on August 2, 2007. We couldn’t be prouder of the success of our four casino locations, which is a credit to our hardworking casino operations team and all of our Four Winds team members.”
Indiana’s only tribal casino, Four Winds transitioned from bingo-based games to true slot machines last year, and added table games and a sportsbook after signing a gaming compact with the state. Under the agreement, the tribe pays 8 percent of its slot machine win to the state, compared to percent in Michigan, in exchange for an exclusivity to offer gaming within 50 miles of the casino, including Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.
