The first Native American tribe in Indiana to have land returned to it from the federal government has announced plans to build a casino in South Bend that will open in early 2018. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi tribe says the 175,000-square-foot casino will have 55,000 square feet of gambling space and 1,800 gambling devices. The size of the casino is smaller than documents previously submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and doesn’t include an 18-story hotel included in those plans. Tribal Chairman John Warren says the tribe had to include how big the casino could eventually become when submitting those plans. He says the plans announced Wednesday are the first phase. The tribe says the project will include four restaurants, three bars and about 4,500 parking spaces.
