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Four
Winds Casino Resorts Breaks Ground
Press Release
NEW
BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Michigan – After six years of delay,
the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is finally breaking ground
last week for Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo Township.
Four Winds
Casino Resort, managed by Lakes Entertainment, Inc. for the
Pokagon Band, will feature 3,000 slot machines, 90 table games,
20 poker tables and six restaurants. Construction will begin
later this month and is expected to be completed in approximately
14 months. The project is expected to create approximately 1,000
construction jobs and 2,000 casino jobs.
"We
want to celebrate and thank everyone for all of their support
through the years at our ground breaking celebration,"
said Tribal Chairman John Miller of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Indians. "We are excited about this historic event. This
has been a long time coming and something we have been working
very hard towards for many years now. The ground breaking will
be a celebration of progress for the Pokagon Band as we move
forward on the road to self-reliance and begin the construction
phase on our tribal project," said Chairman Miller.
"We
look forward to working with the Pokagon Band to help make their
casino project a success," said Tim Cope, President and
CFO of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. "Our goal is to offer
an exciting and fun gaming experience."
The ground
breaking will kick off an entire day of celebration for the
tribe and supporters in the community. The ceremony will include
a tribal blessing, drum groups and the release of four clusters
of balloons to represent Four Winds.
The four
balloons will symbolize the tribe's past, present, and future,
as well as their partnership with the community. Representing
these four hallmarks respectively as they release the balloons
will be Elder Council Chair Marge Moody, Tribal Chairman Miller,
Pokagon Band Youth Council officers: Chairman Marcus Winchester,
Vice-Chairman John Morseau, Secretary Margaret Mersereau, and
Treasurer Chuck Mersereau, as well as Agnes Conway, the New
Buffalo Township Supervisor.
A special
promotional prize will be attached to each cluster, and the
lucky finders will be able to redeem them at Four Winds Casino
Resort when it opens.
The Pokagon
Band will pay two percent of electronic game revenue payment
to a designated Local Revenue Sharing and eight percent to the
Michigan Strategic Fund as required by the 1998 tribal-state
gaming compacts.
The tribe
will also provide additional funding over and above what is
required under the compact for the Pokagon Fund. The community
foundation, made up of both tribal and local community members
will distribute revenue sharing funds from Four Winds Casino
Resort to local communities surrounding New Buffalo Township,
including the local school district.
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