The Chicago Bulls have selected Wind Creek Casino Chicago Southland as the official casino partner of the NBA franchise.
“We are excited to partner with Wind Creek over the next few seasons to bring fans new in-arena competitions, social content and sweepstakes,” said Bulls Vice President of Business Development Mark Levitt. “This new partnership will support our ongoing efforts to further elevate the gameday experience for Bulls fans at the United Center and across our social platforms.”
The scope of the partnership will include in-game marketing, hospitality, digital and social media content, and in-arena branding, to name a few elements. The in-game competition will be a jersey “Hi-Lo” game, where a member of the audience is selected to guess if the number on a jersey shown on the screen will be higher or lower than the previous jersey. Winners of the contest will receive a free bag of Garrett Popcorn.
For the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the tribal nation behind the Wind Creek brand, it is a big get for a company that has largely expanded its reach over the past five years. The tribe, which is based in Alabama, continues to acquire properties in new states, including the forthcoming property in Illinois.
While the property has the deal with the team, it actually is not scheduled to open until September of next year. The $440 million casino will be in the south suburbs in between East Hazel Crest and Homewood, roughly 26 miles south of the city. Wind Creek broke ground on the property in June.
“As a new brand coming to the Chicagoland market, we believed it was important to establish a name for ourselves and a level of credibility with the local market as quickly as possible” said Brent Pinkston, Chief Operating Officer of Wind Creek Hospitality, parent company of the Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino and Resort. “Being a native of the region, I can’t imagine a better way to accomplish that task than to partner with the Bulls organization and introduce ourselves to one of the largest and most loyal fan bases in professional sports. It lets us enter the market with a huge voice.”