COVID-19 Forces Potawatomi To 'Scale Down;' Furloughs Coming

MILWAUKEE, WI — One of Wisconsin's biggest casinos says it's scaling down operations and putting a major segment of its workforce on permanent furlough, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin.

On Friday, the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino issued a statement, saying they expect employee furloughs to be permanent because of the "unforeseeable length and impact" of the COVID-19 health-related restrictions that are impacting casino operations. The casino initially put employees on temporary furlough earlier this year after nonessential businesses were ordered closed during the early stages of the pandemic.

Potawatomi closed in mid-March due to the pandemic. The casino reopened on June 8 and slowly reopened in a limited fashion as the month went on.

Potawatomi officials said state and local COVID-19 restrictions eventually resulted in the casino staying open "at a fraction" of normal levels, resulting in decreased business.

Here is what casino officials said Friday afternoon in a statement:

“The coronavirus pandemic has forced Potawatomi Hotel & Casino to scale down operations substantially and place a cap on guest traffic to a fraction of normal levels. As a result, we have recently made the difficult decision to notify a large number of our staff on a temporary furlough that we consider the furlough to be permanent because of its unforeseeable length and impact. These permanent layoffs take effect August 15th.

“As a business that places care for its team members as a top priority, this is a decision that was not made lightly. It’s one that hurts. Those affected helped build Potawatomi Hotel & Casino into the most visited entertainment destination in the state of Wisconsin. That is not lost on members of business or tribal leadership.

“The business will expand operations as the science guides us and pandemic conditions dictate. Decisions will continue to be made in the best interests of guest and team member health and safety."