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Starting September 3, 2025, hockey fans in Minnesota will need to get used to a new name. The Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild for 25 years, becomes Grand Casino Arena after the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe signed a 14-year naming rights deal with Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.
The deal puts Grand Casino among the NHL's biggest spenders. While neither side revealed exact numbers, SportsBusiness sources say it ranks in the top five most lucrative NHL arena naming rights deals. That means Grand Casino likely pays somewhere between $5-10 million each year, putting them in the same league as major sponsors such as Barclays ($10 million per year) and American Airlines ($6.5 million per year).
For the Mille Lacs Band, this isn't just slapping a name on a building. They've run Grand Casino Mille Lacs since 1991 and Grand Casino Hinckley since 1992, growing into Minnesota's 40th biggest employer with more than 4,100 workers. Now they're taking their brand beyond the reservation in a big way.
"This is more than a name change – it's a signal of where we're headed as a business," said Grand Casino CEO Ronda Weizenegger. She's right. The partnership marks a big change for tribal gaming operations that traditionally focused on drawing customers to their physical locations.
The numbers behind this deal make sense. The arena hosts more than 150 events yearly and draws 1.7 million visitors. In just the first quarter of 2025, one million people walked through those doors for Wild games, concerts, and other events – and that's massive exposure for a brand looking to expand its reach.
Grand Casino Hinckley alone runs 54,800 square feet of gaming space with 2,144 slot machines and 28 table games. Even though they're the biggest employer in Pine County, here's what really makes tribal casinos different: they operate as government enterprises, not private businesses. Their profits go straight back into tribal programs, healthcare, education, and economic development rather than shareholders' pockets.
Speaking of modern gaming, players today have more options than ever. The Inclave banking option has become particularly popular among US casino players who want quick, safe account access. Such platforms have one-click registration and top-tier security that beats traditional banking methods.
Sofia Rebuck has compiled a list of the best Inclave login casinos for US players, featuring sites with solid security and attractive bonuses. It's the kind of innovation that shows how far the gaming industry has come since the early days of tribal casinos.
Wild owner Craig Leipold sees the Grand Casino partnership as key to revitalizing downtown St. Paul. He's been working with other business leaders to transform the area into an entertainment destination, and stable arena funding through 2039 helps that vision.
The transformation won't be subtle. Grand Casino will replace every sign inside and outside the arena, including the center ice logo. Workers need to finish everything before the Wild's season opener in October, which means St. Paul residents will watch their landmark venue change before their eyes.
This deal follows a growing trend of tribal casinos partnering with pro sports teams. The Gila River Indian Community blazed the trail in 2014 when their casinos sponsored the Arizona Coyotes' arena. Now, Grand Casino joins that exclusive club.
The timing makes sense financially as well. NHL teams pulled in a record $1.53 billion in sponsorship revenue last season, up 9% from the previous year. The average NHL sponsorship runs about $529,000, but naming rights command millions more because of the constant exposure.
For Minnesota hockey fans, the name change might take some getting used to. The venue has hosted four NCAA Frozen Four tournaments, the 2008 Republican National Convention, and concerts by everyone from Prince to Taylor Swift. Those memories happened at "The X," not Grand Casino Arena.
But money talks in professional sports. With the Wild needing revenue to compete and Grand Casino seeking broader visibility, this partnership makes business sense for both sides. The Mille Lacs Band gets to showcase their brand to millions while supporting a beloved Minnesota institution. The Wild get a committed partner with deep local roots.
Since tribal gaming operations continue expanding over their traditional boundaries, you can expect more deals like this. Grand Casino Arena represents the new reality where tribal enterprises compete directly with corporate America for premium sponsorship opportunities. And based on this deal's reported value, they're doing their job right.