With the recent opening of its permanent retail sportsbook, Potawatomi Casino Hotel is working on a mobile app that will allow patrons to place bets anywhere in the casino building.
The on-premise mobile sports betting app is currently under full development and won’t be ready to launch for another eight months, Potawatomi CEO Dominic Ortiz told BizTimes at the sportsbook grand opening event earlier this month.
“We’re excited, it’ll bring a new flavor when you come to the casino,” he said. “If you don’t want to go wait in line and put your bet in on the kiosk, you could sit right here and place prop bets, enjoy your meal, food, drink and entertainment.”
In keeping with the Forest County Potawatomi’s sports betting compact with the state, the app will be geofenced to the casino building, which is built on land held in trust.
Ortiz added that a mobile option is something sports bettors have come to expect from casinos as sports betting grows in popularity across the U.S.
“That’s what’s happening in the industry and we want to stay ahead of it,” he said.
Potawatomi’s new 200-seat, Las Vegas-style retail sportsbook is billed as the largest retail sports betting venue in the Midwest. It takes the place of the 500-seat Northern Lights Theater and the Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill, and its early May opening marked a final milestone in the casino’s ongoing $190 million revamp of its first- and second-floor gaming and dining facilities.
