Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, Arkansas opened its annex in October 2019 to long lines of people eager to gamble. The official venue opened in mid-October amid a pandemic that has impacted attendance and revenue. However, Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa isn’t shy about expressing his pride in the project’s success. “What I am proud of is really pretty simple. When the project was proposed, many people that we have a lot of respect for said it was not going to work in Pine Bluff. And they’re eating crow right now. This has been a success. We have proven the naysayers wrong,” he said.
In December, Saracen’s slots generated $7.28 million and table games brought in $945,000. At Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, slots produced $7.22 million and table games delivered $605,000. “We don’t have all of the amenities yet, and we are still building our brand. So our numbers are something that I’m extremely proud of,” Saffa said.
Saffa noted casinos have many of the same slot machines, but a property can distinguish itself through its table games. He said the dealer becomes the face of the casino as he or she operates the table. Training that individual to be personable and efficient is critical, Saffa stated. He pointed out Saracen trains its own dealers, and allows dealers to keep their tips; several make six-figure incomes. As a result, he said trained dealers from other casinos, including Las Vegas, now work at Saracen. “My hat is off to David Schwartz, director of table games. He has done a tremendous job” and has hired several dealers away from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The casino employs 800 to 900 people and offers excellent benefits, Saffa said. Gaming tax revenue has benefited the city of Pine Bluff, Jefferson County and the state of Arkansas, he added. The Quapaw Nation, owner of the casino, has reestablished itself in the region after being “shamefully booted off” its land. “They came back with a great business that has been successful for the tribe. Not many tribes have stepped into the commercial environment. But this is working in Pine Bluff and it’s working well,” Saffa stated.
He commented that the casino is “safely busy” with enough customer traffic to make the operation “revenue-positive.” He said Quapaw Nation executives are optimistic that when Covid-19 subsides, “the sky’s the limit.”
