More Than a Casino

Different than other businesses, the gaming and hospitality revenues generated at Potawatomi Casino Hotel Carter have always served a greater purpose of preserving heritage and tradition, and providing vital services. This unique purpose is captured in the mission of every Potawatomi Casino Hotel: Entertain our guests and create opportunity for our tribe, team members and community.

Owned and operated by the Forest County Potawatomi Community, Potawatomi Casino Hotel Carter continues to provide a way for the Forest County Potawatomi to preserve their culture and build a sustainable future for generations to come.

We are proud to embody both the spirit of a family business, as well as the drive to strive for better.

Our History

Today, it would be difficult to envision Carter, Wisconsin without a casino and hotel. Before opening in 1992, anyone driving through Carter may have missed the town if they blinked. Things have changed since then, and Carter is now renowned as northern Wisconsin's premier gaming and entertainment destination.

Everything began with the need for a new bingo building. The Stone Lake Tribal Hall gymnasium was overflowing with players, so in March 1992, a pole building was constructed, and for the first time, Potawatomi Bingo Northern Lights Casino (PBNLC) opened its doors. What began with bingo, rapidly developed into something more—with a fresh expansion and the addition of slot machines, Carter was now on the map.

Two years later, Indian Springs Lodge and Conference Center was built, and shortly after its construction, expanded, making it the largest lodging and conference center in Northeast Wisconsin. It grew from 60 rooms and a restaurant, to 98 rooms, a restaurant and seven conference rooms. Now, not only did guests have the opportunity to try their luck in the casino, they could enjoy a stay in a modern, comfortable hotel.

In only a few, short years, Potawatomi Bingo Northern Lights Casino outgrew the original structure and the decision was made to build a new casino attached to the Indian Springs Lodge. Management broke ground in 2005, and in 2006, the doors opened with additional amenities that further enhanced the guest experience. This expansion was the largest construction project in Forest County at the time and brought around one hundred new jobs to the area.

In the fall of 2009 “Potawatomi Bingo Northern Lights Casino” decided that with all of these upgrades, the property deserved a new name—a name that would reflect what the guests themselves called the casino. “Potawatomi Carter Casino Hotel” was chosen, and a new logo debuted, aligning the brand with the casino's sister facility in Milwaukee.

Many things have changed over the decades, but one thing remains the same; Potawatomi Casino Hotel Carter team members are like family. Potawatomi Casino Hotel Carter has not only created hundreds of quality jobs in the area, but has also provided opportunities for team members to advance personally and professionally, all while positively impacting the community and our much-appreciated guests.

As we look to the future, Potawatomi Casino Hotel Carter will continue its mission of supporting the Potawatomi tribe, the surrounding community and ceaselessly strive to offer the best gaming, entertainment and hospitality in the area.