But right now, the core focus is sports betting.įour Winds took its first bets on July 13, and Kennedy says it was a “soft launch”, in every respect.

Of course, the roll-out of igaming and online wagering is still to take place, and Kennedy says Four Winds could be taking bets “in the next few months”. This, however, has been tackled by a tenet stating online gaming could not launch until at least one tribe was ready.Īround a dozen are now likely to roll out online betting and gaming when given the go-ahead, he says. Kennedy admits that there was some concerns among tribes that the licensing requirements for sports betting would benefit the (already licensed) commercial venues. The resulting bills ultimately offered tribes and commercial businesses a degree of parity rarely seen in state gambling markets.Īnd the tribes have embraced the opportunity, according to Frank Kennedy (pictured left), senior vice president of casino operations at Four Winds Casino, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s gaming brand that runs properties in New Buffalo, Dowagiac and Hartford. In a state with a significant tribal gaming presence, Michigan Representative Brandt Iden faced a particularly tricky task in crafting legislation that would benefit both the Native American operators and the commercial casinos in Detroit. Ahead of his speaking slot at Sports Betting USA Digital, senior vice president of casino operations Frank Kennedy explains how the operator has carved out a path in the expanding US gaming market. Four Winds is something of an early adopter among tribal operators, having offered free-to-play gaming as far back as 2015, and was among the first wave of sports betting launches in Michigan.

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