Potawatomi casino open doors to newly renovated third floor
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The Potawatomi Casino Hotel has opened its newly renovated third floor to the public, the next phase of an estimated $190 million renovation project that will be completed next year with the opening of a new sportsbook.
CEO Dominic Ortiz hopes the project will breathe new life into the casino, at 1721 W. Canal St., which faces new competition on the Illinois-Wisconsin border and which has largely recovered from the drop in business seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when operations were limited.
"We (were) in an unprecedented time when half the casino's shut down coming out of COVID," Ortiz said. "Looking at what we could do to revive the business, it just made sense that we would focus all of our efforts and remodel the existing facility to an entire new level and reset the stage."
The third floor renovations, by the skywalk, include new gaming areas, bars and restaurants, including Rock & Brews, a rock music-themed restaurant by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the band KISS, that opened on Aug. 1. The project will bring the total number of slot machines in the casino to 3,000, Ortiz said.
"This really is our marquee moment," he said.
Here's what to know about the renovations.
Largest gaming area, ElevenHundred, now on third floor
The newly renovated floor, which is the floor with direct access to the skywalk leading to the parking garage, includes a new gaming area, called ElevenHundred. The gaming area has more than 600 slot machines, a dozen blackjack tables, a few roulette and craps tables and a dual-wheel roulette game. The area also has electronic blackjack and craps machines.
The ElevenHundred Bar & Lounge has nearly 30 bar-top "slot seats," where patrons can gamble while sitting at the bar.
New VIP lounge has high-limit blackjack tables, bar and more
The 1833 Club is new VIP lounge on the third floor, available to Diamond and Emerald Potawatomi Rewards Club members, according to Potawatomi's website. The club has a bar and lounge, as well as four, private, high-limit blackjack tables and a stage for live entertainment, Ortiz said.
The club also has dozens of slot machines and a kitchen where visiting celebrity and specialty chefs will prepare food for lounge guests, Ortiz said.
New sports betting area coming next year
The casino plans to open a new sports betting area in the spring or summer of next year, the final stage of the $190 million renovation, said Mary Christine, the casino's public relations manager. The sportsbook venue will replace the Northern Lights Theater, the concert and comedy venue that for more than two decades had drawn performers to the casino.
The sports betting area will be two levels and will have a bar, a more than 2,000-square-foot video screen that can broadcast multiple games at once — or occasionally one high-interest game — as well as sports betting kiosks, said Emily Melnick, the casino's director of marketing.
The casino has temporarily opened self-service sports betting kiosks around the casino, while construction of the larger sportsbook is underway.
New restaurants now open at Potawatomi casino
Street Eatz, a new bar and restaurant, is located on the third floor. It will serve barbecue, brats and streets tacos, as well as slushy cocktails and beer, according to a press release.
Also on the third floor, just off the parking ramp skyway, is a coffee shop called Cream City Coffee Co., which also sells pastries and sandwiches made by an in-house chef.
The Rock & Brews restaurant that opened last month has 48 domestic and imported beers on tap. The menu includes burgers, pizza, salads and more.
The restaurant has a stage for live music and a massive KISS "Destroyer" wall mural. The ceiling has giant, illuminated, poster-esque images featuring The Rolling Stones, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Madonna and more.
What was replaced by the renovations at Potawatomi casino
The changes to the third floor have replaced what was a bingo hall, poker room, a food court, Bella Italiana restaurant and a gift shop, a spokesperson told the Journal Sentinel last year.
