Indiana tribe to host opening of new casino
A native tribe in Indiana has announced the opening of new gaming facility by mid January.
US.- The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians confirmed the opening date for its casino in by next January 16. The upcoming Four Winds South Bend casino will be the Indiana State’s first tribal casino and will not be required to pay gambling related taxes or follow the same laws imposed to other casinos, as the freedom goes back to the federal protections given by the Congress in the 1990s.
The first phase of the 175,000 square feet casino will employ 1,200 people and will become the largest in Indiana with more than 1,800 slot machines and 4,500 parking spaces. Paige Risser, director of communications for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, said that they expect to draw from most communities within a two-hour drive, including Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.
Matt Bell, executive director of the Casino Association of Indiana, said: “They are good operators. They would be a rival with a level playing field, but the field is not level.” Nevertheless, Bell believes that the state could lose US$355 million in revenue due to gaming taxes lost as players move to the Four Winds casino.
Sara Gonso Tait, of the Indiana Gaming Commission, added that “the Pokagon Band has not requested compact negotiations with Indiana at this time; it is focusing on Four Winds South Bend and its current offerings,” and that they don’t know the real impacts at this time.
