Tulsa World: State Indian casinos cashing in, booming

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State Indian casinos cashing in, booming
Despite a recent economic downturn, gambling venues are still successful.

By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS Associated Press
Published: 10/17/2008 2:13 AM
Last Modified: 10/17/2008 2:34 AM

Despite a recent economic downturn, gambling venues are still successful.

These days, you just need to glance at the 19-story hotel tower under construction at the Cherokee Casino Resort outside Tulsa to gauge how the tribal gambling business is doing in Oklahoma.

The expansion there, and at several other casinos around Oklahoma, indicates that the multibillion-dollar industry is going strong, despite an economic downturn plaguing the rest of the country.

"We're very aware of what's going on in the economy in the U.S., and to a large degree, Oklahoma and Texas are insulated," said Brian Campbell, CEO of the Chickasaw Nation Division of Commerce. "It seems like everything's been holding up well. I know our business is doing great."

The Chickasaw Nation runs the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville near the Texas border. The operation, which began in the early 1990s as a bingo parlor, grew to a 183,000-square-foot facility.

With its current expansion, the casino will balloon to 519,000 square feet — the bulk of it gaming space, Campbell said.

Business is also solid for the Cherokee Nation, which operates seven casinos in Oklahoma and recently announced a plan to hire 1,000 new employees.

With the economic downturn nipping at pocketbooks and high travel costs, casinos are trying to attract customers who are thinking better of a lavish vacation but still want entertainment.

"We see a lot of people staying in Oklahoma and coming to our

place," said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, which manages the tribe's entertainment and retail operations. "We're just going to go to the casino, and we can do that for much less, dollar for dollar, on the amenity. Also, we don't have to spend a couple thousand dollars on airplane tickets."

Tribal gambling in Oklahoma is big business, generating nearly $2.5 billion in revenue last year. The figure ranks the state behind only California and Connecticut, according to the Casino City's Indian Gaming Industry Report, released in August.

The report also found that Oklahoma was one of only eight states to see double-digit growth in tribal gambling revenue in 2007.

More than 30 tribes operated 101 gambling operations in Oklahoma in 2007, up five facilities than the previous year, the report found.

Some recent casino expansions in Oklahoma:

WinStar World Casino in Thackerville is expanding from 183,000 square feet to 519,000 square feet of space.

The Cherokee Casino Resort in Catoosa is undergoing a $125 million expansion that will add a hotel tower with upscale suites, a nightclub, an event and concert arena and a convention hall, among other amenities.

The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes plan to open a casino near Hinton in western Oklahoma on a 5-acre tract near Interstate 40.

In July, the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma's Downstream Casino Resort opened along Interstate 44 at the juncture of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is building a new casino in south Tulsa. The first phase, estimated to cost about $160 million, is expected to be done by early next year. By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS Associated Press

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	Report Comment expressions, (10/17/2008 11:15:10 AM) As a Jewedi Nutachi, this is the sacred buffalo. Casinos have helped the communities and counties economically. They have helped the tribal members, when you have good leadership. They have put some money in the pockets of those who win at the games. If you have any kind of intelligence, you will go to the Casino for entertainment, everyone benefits. When you have righteous people representing your welfare you will have success. The US Govt. obviously has never had that kind of leadership with the state the country is now in and that is a disgrace from the President on down the line to our state representation. I worked for a the newspaper company that didn't reward its employees for senority and dedication before reaching retirement. The owners are a part of the larger establishment of greed and overspending for self glorification much like the US Govt.
	Report Comment Eric, Tulsa (10/17/2008 11:41:18 AM) I'm still a casino virgin (if you will) and have not tried to gamble (save for driving my car on Tulsas' pothole-laden streets!), so I don't get the urge to throw my money away. I do get it that some folks have a gambling addiction and others just enjoy the fun and games. But still, in this kind of economy, are those gamblers a lot like the passengers on the S.S. Titanic, oblivious to the pending doom of economic depression?
	Report Comment TriD, tulsa (10/18/2008 1:54:10 AM) Eric stay home, because you haven't been there, but you could be right!! Uhh, your the half empty person, huh!

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