SOUTH BEND — The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Four Winds Casinos hosted a media tour Wednesday at its newest property, Four Winds South Bend.

Regional media were invited to have their first look inside the 175,000-square-foot facility. On schedule to open in early 2018, the casino is located at 3000 Prairie Avenue in South Bend.

The tour included a first look at the facility’s rotunda, the Kankakee Grille, Copper Rock, Timbers, three bars and White Birch Market, as well as the location of the Player’s Lounge, The Outfitters retail store, and 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.

“We broke ground in December of last year, and I’m pleased to report we’re on track to be open early next year,” said Frank Freedman, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos. “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.”

“This is the first time in nearly two centuries there is sovereign tribal land in the state of Indiana,” said John P. Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon Band. “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.”

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, officials said.

The Pokagon Band’s 10-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, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013.

More information is available at pokagonband-nsn.gov.