On Monday, the Indiana House voted for final legislative approval of the deal signed in January by Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Michigan-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. The agreement will allow the tribe’s Four Winds South Bend Casino to offer live table games such as blackjack and roulette, slot machines, and sports betting.
The casino, which has been limited under federal law to only electronic games since it opened in 2018, will pay 8% of its slot machine winnings to the state and continue its 2% payments to the city of South Bend in return, as reported by the Associated Press.
State officials, by the 20-years deal, are prevented from allowing new casino competition across most of northern and northwestern Indiana, including no future moves by the existing casinos in Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, and Michigan City. The tribe has a similar agreement with Michigan for its casinos in New Buffalo, Hartford, and Dowagiac.