SOUTH BEND — For those who head to opening night at Four Winds on Tuesday, a question may arise.
Why doesn’t Four Winds South Bend have table games?
Within the tribal casino industry, specific federal regulations impact the types of games that can be played at a given casino.
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, passed in 1988, established three classes for tribal casinos and the games that are permitted in each.
Four Winds South Bend is a Class II facility, permitting the playing of bingo, and subject to regulation by tribal government and the National Indian Gaming Commission. Class II facilities are not permitted to offer table games or traditional slot machines.
But a player who sits down at one of the machines at Four Winds South Bend will see a version of bingo that seems very similar to typical slot machines.
“In truth, they’re not slot machines. They’re not the same thing,” said Travis Waldo, director of technology at the National Indian Gaming Commission. “The primary difference is with a class II machine, you’re playing essentially electronic bingo. That means that you’re playing against another person, bingo takes two people to play.”