{"id":854,"date":"2025-06-30T21:47:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T21:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/?p=854"},"modified":"2025-09-22T12:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:10:24","slug":"minnesota-wild-stadium-renamed-grand-casino-arena-in-tribal-gaming-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/30\/minnesota-wild-stadium-renamed-grand-casino-arena-in-tribal-gaming-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Wild Stadium Renamed Grand Casino Arena in Tribal Gaming Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><strong>Mille Lacs Band secures 14-year naming rights deal<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Grand Casino boosts visibility through NHL arena branding<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Tribal gaming partnerships rise in pro sports sponsorships<\/strong><br \/>\n<hr \/>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The arena currently known as the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL\u2019s Minnesota Wild, will be renamed the Grand Casino Arena from September 3 as part of a new 14-year naming rights deal with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/minnesotas-running-aces-racino-adds-more-casinos-to-rico-suit\/\">Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_356324\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-356324\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO wp-image-356324 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Grand Casino Arena, Minnesota Wild, Mille Lacs Band, Tribal gaming, Naming rights deal\" width=\"858\" height=\"573\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Xcel-858x573-1.jpg\"><figcaption>The Xcel Energy Center, as it has been known for the past 25 years, above, will be renamed the Grand Casino Arena in deal with the Mille Lacs Band. (Image: Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The exact dollar amount was not disclosed, but <em>SportsBusiness<\/em> sources indicated it \u201cranks in the top five most lucrative naming\u2011rights deals for an NHL arena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 18,000-seat facility in downtown St. Paul has been the Xcel Energy Center \u2013 aka \u201cThe X\u201d \u2013 since it opened in 2000, but that deal expired after 25 years.<\/p>\n<p>The Mille Lacs Band, which operates the Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley, said the new deal was a game-changer for its Grand Casino brand.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p>This is more than a name change &#8212; it&#8217;s a signal of where we&#8217;re headed as a business,&#8221; said Ronda Weizenegger, Grand Casino CEO. &#8220;Grand Casino Arena represents the strength of tribal enterprise, and our ongoing investment in Minnesota&#8217;s future. We&#8217;re proud to partner with the Minnesota Wild to bring this vision to life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Growing Trend<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The deal is the latest in a growing trend of naming rights deals between tribal gaming operators and professional sports teams. This kicked off in 2014, when the Gila River Indian Community&#8217;s casinos partnered with the Arizona Coyotes.<\/p>\n<p>Faced with increasing competition and changing markets, the tribal gaming industry is shifting from reservation-based operations to broader brand visibility and influence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive Virgil Wind said in a statement that traditional advertising is no longer enough to maintain economic viability. By securing high-profile naming rights, tribes like his aim to boost brand visibility and connect with new audiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wind said the partnership is a \u201cbold step\u201d to increase brand visibility amid declining casino visitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis will put the Grand Casino brand in front of millions of Minnesotans and visitors every year at hockey games, concerts, and major events,\u201d he said. \u201cTraditional advertising isn\u2019t enough anymore if we want Grand Casinos and the band\u2019s economic future to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Stadium Development Expected \u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>No tribal government funds were used for the naming rights deal, which was paid through the casino\u2019s existing marketing budget.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the name change, Xcel Energy will remain a partner with the Minnesota Wild, working together on community hockey programs.<\/p>\n<p>The arena, which is owned by the City of St. Paul, may also undergo renovations. The Wild and the City are seeking state funding to help pay for upgrades that would improve accessibility, security, and fan experience. Officials are requesting $50 million from the state, a reduction from an earlier $394 million request.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/minnesota-wild-stadium-renamed-grand-casino-arena-in-tribal-gaming-deal\/\">Minnesota Wild Stadium Renamed Grand Casino Arena in Tribal Gaming Deal<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\">Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mille Lacs Band secures 14-year naming rights deal Grand Casino boosts visibility through NHL arena branding Tribal gaming partnerships rise in pro sports sponsorships The arena currently known as the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL\u2019s Minnesota Wild, will be renamed the Grand Casino Arena from September 3 as part of a new 14-year naming rights deal with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":857,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854\/revisions\/857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}