Thirty-five years ago, the Forest County Potawatomi regained a portion of their ancestral land in the Menomonee Valley. The area had once been rich with natural resources, but years of heavy industry had turned it, quite literally, toxic. The tribe dedicated a great deal of time and resources to reviving and developing the land. That effort culminated on March 7, 1991, with the opening of Potawatomi Bingo.
The small bingo hall, located on Canal Street just south of Downtown Milwaukee, was the first off-reservation tribal casino in the nation. Now known as Potawatomi Casino Hotel, the entertainment destination has come far from its humble beginnings. Welcoming millions of visitors every year, Potawatomi has one of the largest gaming floors in the state, with more than 3,000 slot machines and over 100 table games, as well as multiple restaurants.
“You walk into the casino and it’s like Vegas was dropped down in Milwaukee,” says Dominic Ortiz, Potawatomi’s CEO and general manager. “But of course, we embrace Midwestern characteristics. We have fish fries every Friday during Lent in our restaurants. We source our food from local vendors. We always incorporate local into what we do. We’re a Milwaukee-based casino – everything that we do stays in Milwaukee.”
Potawatomi’s evolution kicked off in the early 2000s, when changing state laws allowed the casino to add more features, more games and more slot machines. In the summer of 2008, the casino went through its first major renovation, an expansion that turned it into the premier casino in Wisconsin.
On July 12, 2012, Potawatomi broke ground on its 264-foot-tall hotel, making the casino an overnight destination. In 2019, a second tower was built, and the hotel now totals 500 rooms, the second-largest in the city.
All those changes were a prelude to the massive $150 million renovation that kicked off in 2022. “If you haven’t been to the casino in the past five years, you won’t know what you’re walking into,” Ortiz says.
The second-floor gaming area has been completely remodeled, and the casino now boasts a new food hall and revamped restaurants like RuYi and Dream Dance Steakhouse. “We’re not in the business of simply feeding people. We want to give them a culinary experience,” Ortiz says.
In one of the most significant projects of the renovation, Potawatomi opened a sportsbook. The large space, with dozens of kiosks and walls full of televisions showing games, offers extensive sports betting opportunities. Ortiz is working with the state legislature to get sports betting laws passed on a statewide level. The goal is to eventually launch a Potawatomi sports betting app.
Over its more than three decades of growth, Potawatomi has also maintained its commitment to the community. Besides being a major employer in Milwaukee – providing over 4,000 jobs – the casino hotel partners with local children’s charities through its Hearts of Canal Street program. Since 1994, it has donated over $21 million to charity and now donates an additional $1 million every year.
“We always tell people we’re the Midwest’s best casino, and I think we’re more than that,” Ortiz says. “We offer an unmatched experience.”
Potawatomi Casino Hotel
1721 W. Canal St.
800-847-7400
potawatomi.com
