Potawatomi Casino Hotel's Newest Offering Gives Off Some Game Day Vibes

The feeling of walking through a concourse tunnel entrance at a stadium or arena just before a big event can be intoxicating. The anticipation, the buzz, the collective energy - that unveiling moment is not soon to be forgotten.

Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee (www.paysbig.com) is less than two miles from a couple of venues - American Family Field (home of the Milwaukee Brewers) and Fiserv Forum (home of the Milwaukee Bucks) - that can give fans that moment. And after the completion of another renovation phase, Potawatomi has joined its "neighbors" in the sports arena, so to speak.

With the culmination and opening of the Sportsbook in 2024, sports betting is part of the Potawatomi experience. Walking into what was formerly the Northern Lights Theater now has more of that stadium entrance type of feel on big game days or big fight nights. All of it is by design.

"There are very few (sportsbook) venues that look like we do," said Justin Arnett, Potawatomi's VP of Digital Gaming. "For one, it's the vision of our CEO (Dominic Ortiz). He's a big vision guy. And I'm cut from the same cloth. We just wanted to do it right. We're the only casino in metro Milwaukee so we knew there would be a demand for it, and that kind of seems like that's the case. We think it adds a lot to the experience."

The 6,500-square-foot space is lounge like but lively. There is tiered seating with almost an IMAX movie theater viewing experience. The seamless LED video wall, which curves at each end, is the centerpiece at nearly 2,200 square feet. It can be divided up into many layouts and can show more than 30 events at the same time. For those so inclined, it is sports sensory overload.

"We want to be an overall entertainment venue," said Arnett. "Not just slots and table games, but also bingo and food options. Sports betting is one of those things, too."

Arnett should know. Having worked over a decade in the sports betting industry - much of it at popular properties in Las Vegas - he started as a ticket writer before working his way through operations, risk and eventually executive leadership. When legislation allowed sports betting outside of Nevada in recent years, he opened three sportsbooks in New York and was Director of Sportsbook Operations at Hard Rock in Fort Lauderdale before coming to Milwaukee. Though new to the game, Potawatomi's sportsbook he said is on par with the best ones in the country - Las Vegas included.

That should come as no surprise given Potawatomi's history in downtown Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley. What started as a modest bingo hall in 1991 has grown into one of Milwaukee's most recognizable structures and one of its top tourist destinations, welcoming more than six million guests annually. The leadership has diversified the entertainment options over the years and there have been three major expansions. The most notable one was completed in 2014, when a 381-room, $150 million hotel opened.

The casino hotel has dabbled in golf as well over the last decade. It once housed a TopGolf Swing Suite and also was the title sponsor for an LPGA Symetra Tour event, the PHC Classic, for several years before the event ended shortly after the pandemic. The Sportsbook is a new way to include golf among other sports. "(Betting on golf is) not close to football, basketball and baseball, but we get a fair amount of golf action," said Arnett. "But everywhere I've been and industry wise, golf betting has been on a steady increase.

"A lot of (golf interest) is Tiger Woods over time. Just for how much he did for the game in general and just the awareness. It gave a lot of your more casual people someone to root for. And then the other thing, I think, is the industry in general has grown a lot in terms of betting options. It gives people more ways to bet and more ways to stay engaged. There's a lot more analytics now so it brings in a different type of person who's into all these other type of golf metrics. It gives them something to focus on and maybe to try and build a model to win. I think all that stuff helps and just the visibility on networks and stuff and the popularity... It's a great sport to bet because you can do all these different matchups, you can update it as the rounds progress. It really keeps a bettor engaged."

The Sportsbook typically has over 90 kiosks available and a ticket counter to place bets on any number of sporting events around the world. The viewing area can seat around 200 people, but with a large bar, even more during high demand times. There is an upper mezzanine type level, too, which Arnett calls the Skybox. It is not open to the public but is available for special events, parties and VIPs with its own bar and more premium selections. There is also a broadcast studio up there which hosts local sports talk radio shows including a sports betting one called The Weekly Wager by ESPN Milwaukee.

Potawatomi's most recent $190 million renovation phase also included first- and second-floor gaming and dining improvements. The restaurant/music venue Rock and Brews, backed by KISS band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, opened in 2023. A new Poker Room opened in conjunction with the Sportsbook. The Sportsbook has its own separate food offerings through The Kitchen which has brunch offerings, game day favorites and even the John Kuhn Dog, named after the retired Green Bay Packers fan favorite. The bar offers 48 beers on tap and specialty cocktails including the Azalea, a Masters-themed drink.

Despite such a grand opening, Arnett said there will be more to come for guests at the Sportsbook. "There's always room for growth - more events, more stuff to bet on and then the mobile app (we're building)," he said. "Once we get the mobile app going it will be a much better experience because then you can sit in your seat and bet live, for instance. So, we're excited about that. I'm looking at some potential options maybe through the app of having some engagement games, maybe trivia or some leaderboard games to play to layer on top of the sports betting. I don't have anything concrete for that so it's more of a teaser. But there are always innovations in the industry so there's always more ways to do it and more ways of having fun."

Milwaukee is a proud sports town and Potawatomi has added to the excitement.

"The best part about a sportsbook is the energy, right? When a big game or a fight is going on, there's all that energy," summed up Arnett. "You might meet a new friend when you realize someone is cheering for the same thing you're cheering for. The only thing that's really better is going to the game."