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With Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs, Wisconsinites were in for a winter of disappointment.
However, Wisconsin sports fans got good news recently when the Potawatomi Casino Hotel announced it will launch sports betting kiosks and build a permanent sportsbook. Casino CEO Dominic Ortiz said in a statement that the addition of sports betting will transform the property.
“This is a transformational time at Potawatomi Casino Hotel…With the addition of sports betting, we’ll be providing our guests with even more options and welcoming new visitors to the property and the Menomonee Valley.”
The new sportsbook will be the second one at a Wisconsin casino. A third casino, Mole Lake Casino & Lodge, plans to offer sports betting in the future, too.
The Potawatomi Wisconsin Casino sports betting rollout
It’s pretty standard practice for casinos to open up a temporary facility when they expand their gaming, whether slots or sports betting. That’s what will happen at Potawatomi.
The casino will launch construction on its permanent sportsbook later this year. The new book will replace the casino’s Northern Lights Theater and Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill.
And even though the Wisconsin casino plans to finish construction in the fall, it’s come up with a temporary solution. The property will offer 20 sports betting kiosks at two locations in the casino:
- One group near the old Fire Pit sports bar
- One near the second-story catwalk
The kiosks will be open 24 hours a day. An added perk: There are 20-minute temporary parking spots for sports bettors. This gives customers time to park, go to a kiosk, and place a bet.
Online sports betting isn’t legal in Wisconsin, so dedicated parking for sports bettors is a nice accommodation for bettors who want to get in and out quickly.
Revenue expectations for Potawatomi sportsbook
Wisconsin’s only other retail sportsbook is at Oneida Casino in Green Bay. Because the sportsbooks at Oneida and Potawatomi are located in tribal casinos, gambling revenue numbers are kept private.
In states with commercial (non-tribal) casinos, the regulators who oversee sports betting typically publish monthly betting revenue reports.
So, predicting how much revenue Potawatomi Casino can generate is a bit of a mystery. That being said, the casino stands to make much more than Oneida. Milwaukee is home to nearly 580,000, whereas Green Bay has a population of just over 100,000.
New sportsbook part of $100 million renovation
Last May, the Potawatomi tribe announced plans for a $100 million renovation of its Milwaukee casino and hotel. The project impacts 120,000 square feet of space and will bring a variety of new amenities, including:
- More slot machines
- A new bar with 28 bar-top slot terminals
- Multiple 4K televisions
- Rock & Brews, a restaurant designed by two remembers of legendary rock band KISS
- A Starbucks
- Three new quick-service restaurants
- A new high-limit room
Construction is on track to finish sometime in the first half of this year.
