Key point: Bed bugs were found at gaming tables at Potawatomi, Milwaukee’s largest casino, and a city inspection confirmed the complaint. The casino says it treated the affected areas at once; its hotel found none.
Even the gaming tables aren't safe. According to WITI/FOX6 Milwaukee, bed bugs were found at Potawatomi, Milwaukee's largest gambling venue: the city's Department of Neighborhood Services received a complaint about bed bugs at gaming tables on 16 September, and inspectors confirmed it three days later. The casino said in a 24 September statement that it had immediately treated the affected areas, and that its hotel had found no bed bugs.
Timeline: complaint, confirmed inspection, casino statement
- 16 September: the Department of Neighborhood Services received a complaint about bed bugs at Potawatomi's gaming tables.
- Three days later: inspectors visited and confirmed bed bugs on the casino premises.
- 24 September: the casino issued a statement saying the affected areas had been treated immediately.
How the casino responded: immediate treatment plus on-site experts
- Immediate treatment: the casino said the affected areas were treated right away after the discovery.
- Hotel unaffected: the statement stressed that no bed bugs were found in the casino's hotel.
- Experts on site: external pest control experts were brought in and a prevention program was established to stop a recurrence.
Why a casino gets them: foot traffic, upholstery and carpet
- Enormous foot traffic: the casino operates around the clock with a constant flow of visitors — plenty of rides in for hitchhiking bed bugs.
- Upholstery and carpet: gaming chairs, sofas and carpet seams offer exactly the crevices bed bugs like to hide in.
- Not a hygiene issue: as with offices and hotels, bed bugs don't mean a place is dirty. The US CDC does not consider bed bugs a public health hazard, though they are a distressing nuisance pest.
Protecting yourself at casinos and hotels: three tips
- Don't put bags under chairs or on carpet: hang up handbags and coats or keep them on hard surfaces — don't stuff them into upholstered chair crevices.
- Still check the hotel room: even though the casino hotel says it's unaffected, inspect the room anyway — mattress corners, bed frame crevices, behind the headboard — for black spots or blood stains. See the travel hotel bed bug checklist for the full steps.
- Check when you get home: inspect clothing openings, bag bottoms and handbag seams; wash suspected items in hot water and hot-dry them immediately.
If bed bugs do follow you home, the DIY bed bug removal guide walks through the full process.
Sources
- WITI/FOX6 Milwaukee (via full-text quote, 24 Sep 2026) — https://www.bedbugpestcontrol.com/bed-bugs-manual-guide/bed-bugs-preparation/bed-bugs-discovered-in-casino-potawatomi-take-action-to-treat-areas.php
(Written 18 Oct 2026; compiled from public reporting. Complaint, inspection and statement facts as quoted in reporting.)