Officials at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee announced the property will continue to operate as a smoke-free venue. The no-smoking rule was introduced last year among other Covid-19 health and safety protocols, which now are being removed. Smoking will be allowed only in designated outdoor areas.
Interim Chief Executive Officer/General Manager Sheryl Schnering said, “As vaccinations continue being administered and infection rates fall in the area, we are following the lead of health experts and local leadership in lifting some of some of the Covid-19 protocols we’ve had in place for almost a year.”
Masks are no longer required, although unvaccinated guests are encouraged to wear a face covering. Staff members will continue to wear masks. Temperature and health screenings also have been discontinued.
Potawatomi officials said other operations will reopen as enough workers are hired. All slot machines are available but bingo, table games and other gaming amenities remain closed. The restaurants still are operating as carryout-only with limited dining areas available.
The property, owned by the Forest County Potawatomi Indians, was closed from mid-March until early June last year. It’s one of about 160 tribal casinos that now operate smoke-free. The Navajo Nation also continued its no-smoking policy when its casinos reopened in April. Brian Parrish, interim chief executive officer of Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise , said, “We’re not in a rush to go to smoking again. We would love to see the industry transition as a whole to non-smoking.”
