Four Winds Should Blow Changes Into NW Indiana Casinos

The newly opened
Four Winds Casino
in New Buffalo, MI

I've been to the Four Winds Casino two times since the Pokagon Band opened the huge land-based facility earlier this month. The casino's billboards say it is the size of the second largest casino in Las Vegas. I've enjoyed both of my visits to the beautiful building just across the state line in Michigan and have come out ahead.

One thing is for certain -- the Four Winds casino is larger than any of the boat-based casinos in Indiana.

This has gotten me thinking. Indiana needs to move away from limiting casino licenses in Northwest Indiana to those located on vessels that will likely never sail. Indiana's casinos need to have the ability to compete with the lovely Four Winds Casino and any possible Chicago casino that might or might not be approved one of these years (maybe on Northerly Island f/k/a Meigs Field). After all, the casino in French Lick is land based.

And, we can't forget that there might (or might not) be a land-based casino in the works for Gary, Indiana in Glen Park near Indiana University, Northwest.

Riverboat gaming is fun, but requiring casinos to cram everything into boats or barges is silly considering the fact that land-based casinos offer better services to their customers. It's just nicer to have wide open spaces and only a single level to navigate. We need to allow the Horseshoe, Resorts, Majestic Star I & II, and Blue Chip go land-based when they decide it is time to upgrade their facilities.