Sneak peek inside completed Four Winds South Bend

“It’s pretty amazing what a dedicated group of men and women have achieved. Our guests are coming in with an expectation, so we have to deliver and that’s what we intend to do,” said Frank Freedman, CEO Four Winds Casinos.

A moment many in the St. Joseph County area have been anticipating, the new Four Winds Casino in South Bend is fully staffed and ready to open for entertainment just 13 months after breaking ground.

“Once we did that, we started working day and night out here to get to where we are today,” said Bob Moody, Vice Chairman, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.

That work produced 55,000 square feet of 1,800 different gaming machines, four restaurants including the buffet, and 3 full bars.

“We want to give you things that make you feel comfortable and familiar, but new and different so that it remains exciting and energetic,” said Freedman .

“With the technology that we have today, this is the top of it,” said Moody.

If you’re familiar with other four winds casino properties, Ceo frank freedman says it’s about three fourths the size of their larger casino in New Buffalo, standing at 175,000 square feet and sure to bring more traffic to South Bend.

“I think we’ve taken the best parts of New Buffalo and brought them here and then raised the bar,” said Freedman.

“If our calculations are correct, we’re going to entertain north of 2 million people this year. Other businesses end up doing really well because there’s just so much more local traffic,” said Freedman.

And if you’re a true gambler, you may notice there aren’t any live dealers here.

“We’re capable as a tribe to offer Class 2 gaming without having a negotiated compact with the state. We chose not to do that at this time. We are known for our standards. We are known for our safe, secure environment that’s exceptionally clean. We’ve got great food service, food product, and we have a great service staff,” said Freedman.

When asked about the potential for a hotel or more accommodations like what you see in New Buffalo, Freedman says the South Bend location is more for a day-tripper, but they have been working on plans for a phase two.

“We positioned this building so that if the time came that we wanted to put a hotel or more, we know that we put this in the right spot and we can do that,” said Frank Freedman, CEO Four Winds Casinos.

Freedman says those plans have not yet been made public and have not yet been approved by the gaming authority.