Shawnee Tribe wants a casino in OKC

[Kerry]

I must admit I was skeptical at first, but this is sounding better. I wonder if something like this will have any negative impact on a NBA relocation proposal.

[Architect2010]

Its not that close to the adventure district. Its kinda in the middle of nothing...No houses nothing. But I think itd be better if there werent houses right next to it anyways. But anyways, Yeah its kinda far from the adventure district.... Maybe they can extend to to all the blank land next to where the casino would go if its approved.

[jbrown84]

I'm not super keen on expanding gambling, but this would definitely help that area grow. It kind of a hole in metro development.

[BDP]

I'm not real big on these Oklahoma Indian casinos, mainly becuase the gaming sucks and it's not regulated in any way to protect the gamer. However, this looks like what I'd want if Oklahoma City was to get a casino. It's more like a resort that has a casino than a casino that has some rooms attached to it. In the end, it's probably the only way you're going to see such a luxury resort built in Oklahoma City. As planned there'd be lots to do other than gaming. In fact, the gaming would probably the the least attractive entertainment option for me, but the out of town gamers would basically make it so Oklahoma City would have a luxury hotel with spa, restaurants, theater entertainment, etc. Not bad really.

And I like the fact that it would fill in some of our rural land within the city, instead of being downtown. I hope that downtown becomes more urban neighborhood and business oriented and I'm not sure if a casino would really be all that great for the emerging neighborhoods down there.

Also, I'm not really sure why I should feel sorry for Remington Park. Can they not build a resort? If they could, that'd be an even better idea. I'm not sure what they are not allowed to do, but this whining when they've blown plety of opportunities doesn't really move me, while a $400 million resort in Oklahoma City really doesn't sound that bad, even if it happens to have a casino with crappy gaming attached to it. As long as it's done like they've drawn it up, it could be a great thing for the city... and it'll be kind of tucked off to the side.

[AFCM]

Of course Remington Park opposes the idea, they don't want the competition! I'm not really a supporter of gaming, but I do support competition among those who want to earn their revenue. When businesses compete, the product tends to get better. In this case, although we may end up with casinos, at least we'll have nice resorts and casinos instead of the crap that's currently saturating Oklahoma. I just hope the tribe follows through what they're advertising if they were allowed to build such a place.

If Remington Park is afraid of losing their clientele because of this, they need to figure out a way to compete. Are any laws holding back Remington Park in what gaming they can perform?

[Shake2005]

landless tribes gaining reserved land like this for casinos have had a hard time lately, place the odds of it happening here at less than 10%

[Midtowner]

landless tribes gaining reserved land like this for casinos have had a hard time lately, place the odds of it happening here at less than 10%

... which is probably why the tribe has proposed this pie in the sky plan. If they can get local government support, they could actually get trust status for the land. Then, they could build an outhouse with a single slot machine if they wanted to.

I'm still wondering how a landless tribe gets $400 million in financing.

[john60]

I'm kind of back and forth on this issue. I am completely opposed to a trashy indian casino--even something on the level of Riverwind. It sounds like this could be something much more, which should be a prerequisite to it even being considered.

While I don't really have any strong desire to support this plan, I don't see why the city should be so protective of Remington. Sure, it is a unique place because of live horse racing, but other than that, the place feels like a 20-year old bowling alley with a spiffy area with digital poker. It doesn't seem like it is a huge revenue-generating establishment for the local economy, so....I don't know. Just seems ridiculous that a worn-out race track should get preference over a brand new $400 million resort.

[Kerry]

Reading some comments by Remington Park management it appears that RP is restricted on the number of slots they can have. They should lift the restrictions and allow RP to build a hotel and similar conference facilites.

[Jesseda]

Conceptual drawings of the $400-million Shawnee Destination Entertainment Resort project detail an 18-story, 400-room upscale hotel, five-name-brand restaurants, a casino, a 10,000-square-foot spa facility, a 70,000-square-foot retail promenade, a 2,400-seat performance hall, a 15-screen cinema and a 72-lane bowling center.

if all this is going to be planned , i say build it build it now, i hate that vegas get all that money and tunica, 15 years ago was the poorest county in mississppi now its one of the richest in that state. I will definetly stay at home (spend money in the okc area), if we get those type of entertainment casinos

[Midtowner]

Reading some comments by Remington Park management it appears that RP is restricted on the number of slots they can have. They should lift the restrictions and allow RP to build a hotel and similar conference facilites.

Then again, if the horse track closes, we can get dolphins back at the zoo again.

I'd rather have dolphins than horses.

[metro]

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Shawnee Tribe wants to build a casino and resort in northeast Oklahoma City, but will face a long road if the project is to come to fruition. A number of obstacles stand in the way of a project that, if completed, would cost about $400 million.

It would include an entertainment resort on 104 acres, and could have an economic impact of $354 million annually on the city and county. It would employ about 1,900 people.

Preliminary plans call for an 18-story, 400-room hotel with restaurants, a casino, 2,400-seat performance hall and a 70,000-square-foot shopping center. One of the key issues will be placing the land into a federal land trust. The land sits between Interstate 35, Bryant Avenue, Britton Road and NE 82nd Street.

The Shawnee Tribe was originally in the eastern United States and forced west, ending up in Kansas and Oklahoma. In 1869 the tribe joined the Cherokee Nation, where it remained until 2000. In the 1980s the Shawnees made a push for federal recognition and in 2000 were granted status for a government-to-government relationship between the tribe and the United States through a special bill.

Since 2000, the tribe has been headquartered in Miami, Okla. The initiative is led by Greg Pitcher, chairman of Shawnee Development LLC.“At that time we became a landless restored tribe,” Pitcher said. “The language in that bill said we could not relocate ourselves within the historic boundaries of any other tribes in Oklahoma. Therefore, the only option for us is to go to an area that’s unassigned.”A map of Oklahoma shows the only unassigned lands are in the central part of the state and the panhandle.

On Tuesday, the tribe filed with the U.S. Department of the Interior to place the Oklahoma City land into trust for gaming purposes. Michael McBride, an Indian law and gaming attorney with Crowe & Dunlevy, said one section of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, passed by Congress in 1988, says that a tribe cannot place land acquired after Oct. 17, 1988, into trust for gaming purposes unless it complies with certain provisions.

If the land is placed into trust, the U.S. government will accept the land on behalf of the tribe. It becomes U.S. government land for the benefit of the tribe and held in trust. McBride said the tribe must consult with local and state officials and nearby Indian tribes to convince the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior that it will benefit the tribe and its members and not be detrimental to surrounding community.

The site presents a further complication by being off the Shawnee reservation. Miami is about 200 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, which would make it hard for tribal members in Miami to seek work at the resort.“Those are factors that the secretary would take a pretty hard look at,” McBride said. “There’s a strong preference for providing employment for tribal members.”Opposition could also come from the Oklahoma horse industry, which expressed concern that the tribe had not contacted them, or nearby Remington Park, which has horse racing and a casino.

Scott Wells, general manager at Remington Park, said the tribe had not contacted them at all. Wells declined to comment further. Debbie Schauf, executive director of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, said the horse industry in Oklahoma contributes $1.2 billion to the state’s economy each year and provides 50,000 full-time jobs.

“Oklahoma voters, with their vote of support for the horse racing industry and Oklahoma school children, approved a very restrictive expansion of gaming in 2004, and we believe that support was based in part on the public’s understanding of where gaming would and would not be permitted,” she said.

“Additional casinos in the Oklahoma City market or any other location in the state that was not previously designated as tribal lands were neither permitted nor contemplated at the time the state question was approved by voters.”Schauf said efforts to expand gaming, especially the Shawnee project, would in all probability create a financial disaster for Remington Park and the horse racing and breeding industry in the state.

Pitcher acknowledged that the tribe has not had discussions yet with Remington Park. He said this is simply the beginning of what will likely be a lengthy process if the resort is to be built. “Today is the first step in this process,” he said. “We anticipate working with the federal, the local and the state government during this long process.”

Pitcher said the focus will be working with several entities to benefit all parties.“For it to be good for the Shawnee it has to be good for Oklahoma City,” he said. “One of the ways that we can do this is to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County.”If an intergovernmental agreement is formed between the Shawnees, the city and the county, the tribe would make multimillion-dollar payments annually to the local governments.

Roy Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, said he was impressed with the initial plans and congratulated the tribe for its vision, but stopped short of an endorsement.“What we’ve been asked to do is to be a part of hearing about the project, learning about the project and commenting about the project,” Williams said. “What we’re interested in is growing the pie here in terms of the economy. To the extent that this does that, that’s what we’re all about.”Williams said in the early stages of the project there will still be much to learn about the actual project and the dealings with the federal government that will be required to even get the project started.“This is really our first opportunity to see a lot of those details,” he said. “Up until this point it was them telling us what their process was because this is so different from a normal development project because of the tribal presence and the approval process going through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We’re on the learning curve as are a lot of other people.”In the meantime the tribe will continue forward with the federal application process.

Pitcher said while many, including Mayor Mick Cornett, have reservations, the tribe hopes to continue working with local entities to sell them on the ultimate merits of the project and the economic impact it could have for central Oklahoma.“We appreciate the fact that the mayor, although he is not convinced yet, says he is willing to talk with us,” Pitcher said.




The Shawnee Tribe wants to build a casino and resort in northeast Oklahoma City, but will face a long road if the project is to come to fruition. A number of obstacles stand in the way of a project that, if completed, would cost about $400 million. It would include an entertainment resort on 104 acres, and could have an economic impact of $354 million annually on the city and county. It would employ about 1,900 people. Preliminary plans call for an 18-story, 400-room hotel with restaurants, a casino, 2,400-seat performance hall and a 70,000-square-foot shopping center.

[Kerry]

Then again, if the horse track closes, we can get dolphins back at the zoo again.

I'd rather have dolphins than horses.

The dolphins will be at the new downtown Aquaticus facility built as part of MAPS 3 as a joint venture with OKC Zoo and using money supplied by the casino (pipe dream)

[jbrown84]

Also, I'm not really sure why I should feel sorry for Remington Park. Can they not build a resort? If they could, that'd be an even better idea. I'm not sure what they are not allowed to do, but this whining when they've blown plety of opportunities doesn't really move me,

I agree. Even if they are limited on the number of slots, I'm not aware of anything that's holding them back from creating a resort of some sort with a hotel and spa and retail and such.


The only thing about the Shawnee proposal that is a little (!!) is the 15-screen movie theatre. ANOTHER theatre? Tinseltown is like 2 miles away. This would certainly be the doom of Tinseltown.

[bwana_bob]

More than 2 years ago, the Ioway Casino was announced for Chandler. 1500 slot machines, 50 tables and 250 rooms - plus a master plan boasting additional rooms, golf course, an entertainment and event center, and 'other' casino resort amenities. The project, slated for completion in early 2007 is now at the status of "preparing an environmental assessment (kill the spotted owls before anyone sees them), seeking NIGC approval and preparing architectural plans. The opening is now listed as "estimated early 2009."

At the time of the announcement, posters to this website said:

"Viva Oklahoma! Well, it's better than having to fly or drive to Vegas or Atlantic City to visit decent casinos."

"Great News! I'm all for new updated casinos."

Does anyone know if this thing is really going to be built? It seems like everyone associated with the Ioway would put their plans on hold until they see if the Shawnee Tribe can get their land placed into the trust.

[jbrown84]

I've been around this site for a while and I don't remember anything about a casino in Chandler.

Talk about an ODD location. It's not even on an interstate.

[kmf563]

Ok. Let me make sure everything is crystal clear. Gambling is illegal in Oklahoma...except on tribal land. Where nothing is regulated and the state makes zero money off of it. But we can all play the lottery where the money is regulated and schools are making money and our teachers are getting paid as much as the surrounding states for the first time in history. Oh and wait - you can gamble at Remington because they already have horses you can bet on. But you can't play card games. That's gambling and illegal. We won't allow a casino to be built within the okc metro area - unless one of the indian nations builds it. So we can give less money to the one and only casino that is state regulated and go give it to the tribe because they let you play cards and pretend to let you win.

Am I missing anything???????? Cause I really don't understand who in the heck is making all of these rules up!! It sounds an awful lot like the version of Monopoly my son and I play when he is losing. He tends to create more rules to benefit his plays. But in this case it sounds like the more rules that are being made, the more the state gets screwed.

[bwana_bob]

Here is one thing you are missing...

Excerpted from the Tulsa World, Nov. 11, 2007:

While Indian gaming has proved to have staying power, it continues to evolve. Oklahoma voters chimed in with the passage of Question 712 in November 2004. It ushered in a new era of Indian gaming with electronic devices akin to Vegas-style slot machines and card games. It also approved compact agreements between the state and tribes for a share of casino revenues.

To date, about 31 tribes have signed gaming compacts with the state. These tribes have made total "payments in lieu of taxes" of about $75.6 million, state finance figures show.

[betts]

Although I would probably never set foot in it, someone I know commented that casinos are very popular with convention goers. I suppose if it's really attractive and has lots of entertainment options it could be another attraction for Oklahoma City. We need things for conventioneers to do when they're not sitting in boring meetings. If they can't shop downtown, I suppose they could go to a casino. So I would reluctantly be in favor of it, if it were a destination style development.

[Patrick]

The casino planned by the Shawnee Tribe looks a lot like the Cherokee Casino and Resort in Tulsa, which has a high rise hotel attached, a golf course, and other amenities. If we're going to do casinos, I think high class casino resorts, where the high rise hotel is attached to the casino is the way we need to go.

Too many tribal casinos are like Winstar, where the casino building is separated from a "mo"tel.

I'd be for the Shawnee tribe's proposal, if they build all they have planned.

[andy157]

A 400 Mil dollar project that will create jobs during the construction phase. After completion the project will employ 1,900 workers, possibly help attract conventions, and spur economic growth to an area of our City. Yet, our Mayor opposes it. Seems our Mayor is sending mixed messages.

[Patrick]

He opposes it for religious reasons, of course.

[chuckdiesel]

There is no going back on casinos in Oklahoma. The cat is out of the bag. Oklahoma should just go ahead and lift the dumb regulations on gaming (i.e. getting rid of the ante for blackjack!) and just let them be legit full-fledged casinos with craps and roulette and the like. The state should draw up a new compact where they get 10-15 percent of the profits so the casino industry in Oklahoma is not a joke in the world of gaming.

[andy157]

There is no going back on casinos in Oklahoma. The cat is out of the bag. Oklahoma should just go ahead and lift the dumb regulations on gaming (i.e. getting rid of the ante for blackjack!) and just let them be legit full-fledged casinos with craps and roulette and the like. The state should draw up a new compact where they get 10-15 percent of the profits so the casino industry in Oklahoma is not a joke in the world of gaming.

I agree, and while we are at it lets allow for the operation of a sports book, so we can bet on the Sonics.

[Lauri101]

The casino planned by the Shawnee Tribe looks a lot like the Cherokee Casino and Resort in Tulsa, which has a high rise hotel attached, a golf course, and other amenities. If we're going to do casinos, I think high class casino resorts, where the high rise hotel is attached to the casino is the way we need to go.

Too many tribal casinos are like Winstar, where the casino building is separated from a "mo"tel.

I'd be for the Shawnee tribe's proposal, if they build all they have planned.

I agree completely, and also with what Betts said about a convention draw.

For so long, Oklahoma has been looked on as "oh, that place where you have cowboys" or "OKC - the bombing city". I travel frequently and when someone asks me where I'm from, those two responses are the most typical.

We need to be a destination known for more than Joads, cowboys or Ryder trucks. Although I'm not an NBA fan, having an NBA team would be a draw. On the same note - having a first-class resort casino, with multiple activities, would help our image improve in the eyes of the nation.

As a centrally located state, we could draw conventions and meetings from companies and other organizations who have attendees from coast-to-coast. I'm tired of Dallas getting all the business!