Woman Kicked Out of Potawatomi Casino for Dress Code Violation, Incident Goes Viral on Facebook
A woman was escorted from the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee this weekend due to a dress code violation. The woman’s denim shorts did not pass the casino’s “fingertip rule”, so she was asked to leave after about 20 minutes in the casino. Local media ran the story, which went viral on social media sites. Many posters saw nothing wrong with the woman’s attire, which spurred the casino to make statements to the public.
The woman was Becky Paszkiewicz, who entered the casino wearing a hooded sweatshirt, black Converse sneakers and denim cutoffs. Paskiewicz said she was minding her own business on the gaming floor about twenty minutes after arriving, when casino security approached her.
Asked to Leave 20 Minutes into Visit
Staff members told the Milwaukee resident that she needed to leave the casino, because she was breaking Potawatomi Casino’s dress code. The staff told her the shorts did not pass the fingertip rule. The rule states that shorts must come to the end of one’s fingertips, if one’s arms are hanging down by one’s side.
Paszkiewicz told CBS 58 the casino’s suggestions for a solution were absurd. She told the local station, “They suggested we buy leggings from the gift shop, and then at one point he suggested I take off my hoodie and wrap it around my waist. I told him then I’d be in a tank top, wearing less clothing than I am now.”
Vows Never to Return to Casino
Though she had been a regular customer of the Potawatomi Casino before, she’s vowed never to return to the establishment. She said the experience was mortifying or, in Becky’s words, “That sucked. That sucked a lot.”
The former casino customer told the news team, “Everyone is looking at you like, ‘What did they do? What’s going on over here?’ It was embarrassing to be treated like I did something wrong.”
Potawatomi’s Comments on Facebook
Eventually, the incident became a sensation on Facebook, prompting the casino’s management to address a bloc of potentially offended customers on the social media site.
Potawatomi Casino officials posted, “Potawatomi Hotel & Casino enforces a dress code as part of its security protocol. Unfortunately, what happened in this particular instance did not fall within the spirit of that dress code.
“We apologize for any embarrassment that this guest experienced as part of the incident. We will review the policy and take measures to make sure it is being appropriately enforced in the future.”
The Casino Dress Code
The casino’s dress code includes a need for a shirt and shoes. Besides the fingertip rule, short must not be so baggy that they reveal a person’s undergarments beneath the shorts.
For local newspapers and social media, Becky Paszkiewicz posted a photo of the offending clothing. Readers can view the picture above to see what they think whether Becky should have been escorted from the property.
Another role of Facebook is for people in the older generations to complain the millennial generation is too sensitive. These people believe the social media has become too much of a sounding board for the younger generation to complain. No doubt, those people would point to the story of a dress code violation going viral as a sign of the times, but then, the older generation seems destined to always complain about the younger generation.
About Potawatomi Hotel & Casino
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is located on West Canal Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The casino has 780,000 square feet of gaming space, along with 2,727 gaming machines and 113 gaming tables (including table games and poker). The adjoining hotel has 381 rooms, while the complex contains 6 restaurants and 2 bars.
The tribe’s gaming operation launched in 1991 as Potawatomi Bingo. After a gaming compact was signed, the tribe installed slots machines in 1992. The complex underwent a $120 million expansion and renovation in 2000 and 600 new slot machines were installed. In April 2004, a poker room with 10 poker tables was added.
In 2008, another $240 million expansion occurred, which added another 500,000 of square feet to the complex. This expansion included a larger poker room, an off-track betting area, restaurants, a center bar, a banquet room, a food court, and a conference center. In 2012, the hotel was opened. Finally, the tribe renamed the gaming venues the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in 2014.
The Potawatomi Tribe
The Potawatomi tribe inhabited the Menomonee Valley for hundreds of years before European settlers first came to the land. After the tribe was moved to outlying reservations, the Menomonee Valley was turned into an industrial area, leading to urban blight. When the tribe reclaimed its ancestral lands, it began to invest in the ecological wellness of the Menomonee Valley.
