After more than 20 years of hosting musical acts, comedy acts, and more, Potawatomi Casino Hotel’s Northern Lights Theater has closed. It is set to be replaced by a permanent sports betting venue.

“This is a transformational time at Potawatomi Casino Hotel,” says Dominic Ortiz, Potawatomi Casinos and Hotels’ CEO, in a press release. “For more than three decades, we have served as a leader in Tribal gaming. 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 final Northern Lights show was on January 20, with Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits.

Sports betting at Potawatomi has been in the works ever since the tribe and Gov. Tony Evers came to an agreement in February 2022.

Before the permanent sportsbook opens—in December 2023 or early 2024—two temporary sportsbook sites will be set up to satiate sports betting fans. These sites—expected to open in the next few weeks—will boast 17 total kiosks open 24 hours a day, odds boards, and 20-minute designated parking in the parking structure. One of these temporary sites will be on the second-floor skywalk; the other will be near the Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill, which has also closed.

Speaking of the second floor, it’s currently in the midst of a $100 million renovation. When complete (“in phases during the summer and fall of 2023”), it will boast a “modern space with new gaming, an exclusive high-limit room,” and that Rock & Brews restaurant founded by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS.

Here’s the full press release:


POTAWATOMI CASINO HOTEL SPORTSBOOK SET TO REPLACE NORTHERN LIGHTS THEATER, FIRE PIT SPORTS BAR & GRILL

PROPERTY WILL OFFER SPORTS BETTING KIOSKS IN TWO LOCATIONS IN THE COMING WEEKS

MILWAUKEE (Jan. 23, 2023) – Construction will soon begin on Potawatomi Casino Hotel’s permanent sportsbook, set to be located in the northwest corner of the casino, replacing the Northern Lights Theater and the Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill.

“This is a transformational time at Potawatomi Casino Hotel,” said Dominic Ortiz, Potawatomi Casinos and Hotels’ CEO. “For more than three decades, we have served as a leader in Tribal gaming. 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.”

In the coming weeks and throughout construction of the Sportsbook venue, the casino will provide guests two locations, with 17 kiosks between them open 24 hours a day, to place bets on their favorite teams.

One of those locations will be near the former Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill. Here, guests will find a full bar, eight high-definition televisions and one large LED screen to take in the day’s biggest games. Kiosks will also be found off of the skywalk on the property’s second level. Both locations will provide odds boards. Sports betting guests will also enjoy 20-minute dedicated parking spots in the structure. All bets must be placed on site.

Construction of the sportsbook comes in the midst of the property’s $100 million renovation to its second level, expected to be completed in phases during the summer and fall of 2023. Here, guests will enjoy a modern space with new gaming, an exclusive high-limit room, Rock & Brews – the property’s newest restaurant founded by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of the legendary band KISS, and much more.

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