Minnesota Casino Mystic Lake Sued After Punting on Super Bowl Nightclub

Posted on: January 24, 2018, 12:00h. 

Last updated on: January 24, 2018, 07:40h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

Minnesota casino Mystic Lake is being sued by Nomadic Entertainment for abruptly canceling its temporary 65,000-square-foot, 9,000-person capacity nightclub constructed for next week’s Super Bowl festivities.

Minnesota casino Super Bowl nightclub
Construction workers building a temporary nightclub near Super Bowl LII have been told to stay home after the Minnesota casino behind the project abandoned the plans. (Image: Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune)

Last September, Mystic Lake, owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, announced it was partnering with New York-based Nomadic to build the temporary space in order to host larger concert acts during the February 1-4 Super Bowl weekend. The Chainsmokers (Feb. 1), Kygo (Feb. 2), Florida Georgia Line (Feb. 3), and Gwen Stefani (Feb. 4) were all booked to perform.

The Mystic Lake Casino is some 27 miles southwest of US Bank Stadium, home of Super Bowl LII.

In a federal lawsuit filed yesterday, Nomadic alleges Mystic Lake canned the project without notice after it spent $2.4 million building the temporary structure. The tribe said it “determined that it would be impossible to ensure an event that is up to our quality of standards,” and has since moved the four concerts to its smaller 2,100-seat Mystic Showroom inside the casino.

“We were fully within our rights to cancel the contract, and will vigorously defend that decision,” said Willie Hardacker, an attorney for the Minnesota casino. “This will in no way impact guests visiting Mystic Lake or the entertainment schedule on February 1 through 4.”

Mystic Lake is the largest Minnesota casino with 4,000 slot machines and 100 table games. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul region is also home to the Canterbury Park poker room, Little Six Casino, and Treasure Island Resort and Casino, all of which are within 45 miles of the Super Bowl site.

Super Bowl Gamble

The Super Bowl is typically played in warm climates, but next weekend’s big game will be in cold and blustery Minneapolis. As of today, the forecast for February 4 is calling for a steamy high of 13 degrees Fahrenheit, and a bone-shattering low of -3.

Needless to say, the vast majority of visitors will not be tailgating outside. That’s why the pop-up indoor venue concept seemed to make sense. And Nomadic has a proven track record of building such facilities after hosting a similar temporary nightclub at last year’s Super Bowl in Houston.

Mystic Lake, looking to attract Super Bowl fans to its casino, reached out to Nomadic last summer and formed a relationship. The contract stated that the Native American tribe would cover concert booking and production costs, while Nomadic would be on the hook for building the facility.

Poor ticket sales are thought to be the likely culprit for Mystic Lake scrapping the nightclub. Tickets for all four acts remain available despite the shows going from the 9,000-person capacity venue to the 2,100-seat theatre.

Show Must Go On

Despite its Mystic Lake nightclub going dark, Nomadic Entertainment will still be in Minneapolis for Super Bowl week with its other concert venue. Known as Nomadic Live at the Armory, and located just two blocks from US Bank Stadium, the Minneapolis Armory has been transformed into an 8,000-capacity concert venue.

The headlining lineup for the three-day February 1-3 weekend includes Imagine Dragons, Pink, and Jennifer Lopez.