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The
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Opens
Four
Winds Casino South Bend
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Ceremony
included tribal drumming,
presentation
of flags and ribbon cutting
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South
Bend, IN – January 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Indians’ Four Winds Casinos®
are pleased to announce their newest property, located on 166 acres of
tribal trust land in northern Indiana and the first casino in the state
of Indiana owned and operated by a Native American tribe, officially opened
to the public Tuesday (January 16).
The
casino, Four Winds South Bend, shares the Four Winds brand with other Pokagon
casino locations in New Buffalo, Hartford and Dowagiac, Mich.
More
than 300 invited guests joined John P. Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon
Band, Frank Freedman, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos and
Ernie Stevens, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association at a
ribbon cutting ceremony. Tribal members performed drum songs as part of
the grand opening celebration, and tribal veterans posted flags, prior
to an invocation and remarks by invited guests.
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“This
is an incredibly exciting time for all of us and we’re pleased to have
you here today,” Freedman said. “This ribbon cutting signifies the work
of hundreds of people over the course of the past 13 months. We’re proud
to cut this ribbon today for the first tribal casino in the state of Indiana
and the fourth Four Winds property.”
“This
will be an entertainment destination for the region,” Freedman continued.
“We’ve hired and trained over 1,200 of the best people to provide the same
superior level of quality and service our guests have come to expect from
the Four Winds brand. We offer more than just gaming; we’re excited to
bring four new dining experiences to the South Bend region—including Copper
Rock Steakhouse, The Buffet, Kankakee Grille and Timbers.”
“From
the moment of groundbreaking through this ribbon cutting, the positive
support from local, county and state governments has been extraordinary,”
said John P. Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
“We could not have done this without the support of many people and agencies.
We also extend our gratitude to the Pokagon Elders Council and Pokagon
Gaming Authority, along with the entire Tribal Government. Without their
knowledge and guidance, we would not be here.”
Partners
supporting the Pokagon Band and Four Winds Casinos in the construction
of Four Winds South Bend include architect, HBG Design, Memphis, Tenn.;
civil engineer, Wightman and Associates, Benton Harbor, Mich.; construction
management company, F.A. Wilhelm, Indianapolis, Ind.; and owners representative,
Kramer Management Group, Lansing Mich.
Four
Winds South Bend has 175,000 square feet and includes 1,800 games, four
restaurants, a players lounge, a coffee shop, three bars, a retail outlet,
and approximately 4,500 parking spaces including an enclosed parking structure.
The casino has hired more than 1,200 people to date. The casino is open
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
About
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
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, Mich.,
with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds
Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in
2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. Four Winds South Bend will open in
early 2018. It owns and operates a variety of business via Mno-Bmadsen,
the tribe’s non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available
at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov,
www.FourWindsCasino.com
and www.mno-bmadsen.com.
About
Four Winds Casinos
Four
Winds New Buffalo, located at 11111 Wilson Road in New Buffalo, Mich.,
Four Winds Hartford, located at 68600 Red Arrow Highway in Hartford, Mich.,
Four Winds Dowagiac, located at 58700 M-51 South in Dowagiac, Mich., and
Four Winds South Bend, located at 3000 Prairie Road in South Bend, Ind.,
are owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. 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. Four
Winds South Bend has 55,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,800 games, four
restaurants, three bars, a players lounge, a coffee shop, and a retail
outlet. Please play responsibly. You must be 21 years of age to gamble.
For more information on Four Winds Casinos, please call 1-(866)-4WINDS1
(866-494-6371) or visit www.FourWindsCasino.com.
Additionally, be sure to like Four Winds Casinos on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/fourwindscasino
and follow on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/fourwindscasino.
Media
Contacts:
Jill
Klinedinst
Melinda
Pierce
Big
Idea Company
574-257-4332 |
