fourwindssbrotundaconstruction

Pokagons Offer Mid-Construction Preview of Four Winds South Bend

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If you plan to make your way to the forthcoming Four Winds Casino at South Bend early next year, you can expect to feel pretty much right at home. If you’ve ever visited Four Winds New Buffalo, the resemblance is striking, even at the mid-point of construction.

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Four Winds Casinos hosted a Media Tour this week at its newest property—Four Winds South Bend. Regional media were invited to have their first look inside the 175,000-square-foot facility, and even without the renderings of what the finished product will look like the familiarity is readily evident to the Four Winds brand.

Tour organizers reported that construction is right on schedule for the planned opening in early 2018. The new casino construction site is located at 3000 Prairie Avenue in South Bend.

The tour included a first look at the facility’s rotunda, as shown in the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com. Also showcased on the construction tour were the Kankakee Grille, Copper Rock Steak House, Timbers Restaurant, three bars and the White Birch Market, as well as the location of the Player’s Lounge, The Outfitters retail store, and the spacious gaming floor. Four Winds Casino South Bend will have 1,800 slot machines, including progressive slots. The entertainment complex will employ approximately 1,200 people.

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Frank Freedman, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos told reporters, “We broke ground in December of last year, and I’m pleased to report we’re on track to be open early next year.” Freedman added, “We know anticipation is high to see what this property will look like. From the gaming floor to the world-class restaurants, it will be a true entertainment complex.”

Also on hand for the tour was John Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon Band. He said, “This is the first time in nearly two centuries there is sovereign tribal land in the state of Indiana.” He reported, “On these 167 acres, we’ll not only be building a new Four Winds Casino, it will also be home to a new Tribal Police Substation and six Pokagon families in the village nearby, with room for more.”

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its approximately 5,000 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, with a satellite office in South Bend. In 2007, they opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov.

Four Winds New Buffalo offers 130,000 square feet of gaming with more than 2,600 slot machines, 50 table games, five restaurants, entertainment bars, retail venues, a pool, and a 415-room hotel, making it the premier gaming resort in the Midwest. Four Winds Hartford features more than 550 slot machines, nine table games, a 74-seat restaurant, and a 15-seat bar. Four Winds Dowagiac features 400 slot machines, seven table games and one restaurant.