Osage Nation building 2 new casinos

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NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA 

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  • The Osage Nation plans to replace this tribal casino in Pawhuska with a bigger casino along with an accompanying hotel.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – After waiting years for approval from the federal government, the Osage Nation plans to construct two new casinos in Osage County that will be bigger than existing facilities, offer more Class III games, and will include a hotel at each site.

The Nation is seeking requests for proposals on construction of a second Bartlesville casino. The new casino and hotel will be developed on 125 acres two miles west of Bartlesville off US-60. The tribe also has an Osage Casino that was built southwest of Bartlesville in 2007 and has 440 electronic games.

A new casino with a hotel also will be constructed in Pawhuska on 63 acres near the intersection of SH-99 and US-60.

The Nation already has an Osage Casino in Pawhuska on E. 15th Street at US-60 that opened in 2003 and has approximately 175 electronic games, but has no affiliated hotel. The tribe reportedly plans to move that casino to 17 acres at the site where the new casino and hotel will be built, and then dismantle it when the new facility opens.

Class III is Las Vegas-style gambling that includes games commonly played at casinos, such as slot machines, blackjack, three-card poker, craps and roulette, as well as wagering games and electronic facsimiles of any game of chance.

Proposals on development of the new casino hotels will be accepted until 4 p.m. December 8 at the Osage Casinos executive offices in Tulsa. The RFP will be awarded by December 15, Osage Casinos Facilities Director Bruce Cass said.

APPLICATIONS FILED IN 2014 AND 2016

The Osage Nation filed an application with the U.S. Interior Department in January 2014 seeking to transfer the Bartlesville acreage into federal trust for the purpose of building an Indian gaming casino with a hotel, and submitted a similar application in 2016 for the Pawhuska casino/hotel project. The Bureau of Indian Affairs announced on July 17, 2020, that the two land-to-trust applications were approved.

“With this action, The Osage Nation can now move forward on its economic development plans and enjoy the benefits of its lands,” said Tara Sweeney, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Department — Indian Affairs.

The Osage Nation “will begin at once to turn dirt and construct new amenities on these parcels that will help boost our region’s economic recovery from this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear.

The tribe hopes to open both facilities by 2022, publicist Nicole Morgan said.

BARTLESVILLE CASINO

The new Osage Casino near Bartlesville will encompass 25,000 square feet to accommodate 500 slot machines, four table games and 1,700 square feet for miscellaneous use.

A 2,200 square-foot food-and-beverage (F&B) area featuring a sports theme is planned, with seating for 70, including a 50-seat dining area and a 20-seat bar. A second F&B area of 7,500 square feet also is envisioned, but the number of seats has not been determined yet.

The casino also will have a 7,500 square-foot banquet room.

The hotel will have 100 rooms, records indicate: 85 typical king- and queen- size rooms plus 15 two-bay suites. The hotel will have a 760 square-foot fitness room, a vending room with ice maker at each level, two guest elevators and a service elevator, a two-station check-in counter, and a small lobby lounge area and a business desk area. Space will be available to double the number of rooms in the future, if necessary.

The casino/hotel also will have a 2,500 square-foot swimming pool and a 150 square-foot spa.

Parking for 600 spaces is planned: 542 for guests, two 1,500 square-foot spaces for buses, six spaces for semi-trailer trucks, and 50 parking spaces for employees.

PAWHUSKA CASINO

The new Osage Nation casino at Pawhuska will encompass 12,000 square feet of floor space. It will feature 250 slot machines, compared to the 175 electronic games in the existing casino. The new casino also will have 400 square feet of space to accommodate two table games, plus 750 square feet of miscellaneous area.

A 3,000 square-foot food-and-beverage area will accommodate a 20-seat bar and an 80-seat dining area.

A 7,800 square-foot meeting area will house a 5,000 square-foot banquet room and a set of restrooms.

The hotel will have 75 rooms, documents indicate: 67 typical rooms and eight two-bay suites, plus a fitness room, a vending room with icemaker on each floor, two guest elevators and a service elevator, a two-station check-in counter, plus a small lobby lounge area with a business desk area.

The hotel also will have a 1,500 square-foot swimming pool and a 150 square-foot spa.

The casino hotel is slated to have 350 parking spaces: 300 for guests, two for buses, half a dozen for semi-trucks, and 42 for hotel/casino staff.

GAMING FINANCES TRIBAL PROGRAMS

Besides the casinos near Bartlesville and in Pawhuska, the Osage Nation has casinos in Tulsa, Sand Springs, Skiatook, Ponca City, and north of Hominy.

On November 21, the Osage Nation reported that payouts from the seven tribal casinos over the preceding 12 months totaled $118 million, and the rolling 30-day payout totaled $12.1 million.

Net revenues from the gambling “provide critical funding that supports Osage Nation programs such as education, eldercare, tribal economic development, and supporting charitable organizations,” Ms. Morgan said.

The Nation lost more than 90% of its land base in 1907 when Oklahoma became a state and incorporated the Osage reservation as Osage County. The Nation relies on its own economic activities to fund its governmental programs and services.