Last August the federal government approved allowing craps and roulette at Cherokee Nation casinos in Oklahoma. The tribe’s flagship Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa was the first to offer ball-and-dice games, which now also are offered at West Siloam casino. Roulette is available at Roland and craps will be offered soon, said Cherokee Nation Senior Director of Corporate Gaming Mickey Ward.
The two new games have attracted “an influx of guests that were not our regulars. So it’s opened us to some of the guests that would normally travel to commercial gaming markets such as Tunica, Kansas City, etc., to play the actual real, live craps and roulette,” Ward said.
He added, “We have seen financial success. We can’t share exact financials, but we’ve definitely seen an increase having these two games. Our goal wasn’t to be the first to market, even though we were the first in the Tulsa area. We wanted to be sure we rolled it out the right way, had our staff properly trained, had all the necessary equipment on site.”
Ward noted, “First and foremost, the Cherokee Nation benefits. The state of Oklahoma benefits.” The games are estimated to provide $20-$25 million annually for education.
Electronic versions of craps and roulette will be offered at some of the tribe’s smaller casinos that otherwise would not offer table games. Ward, said, “For instance, our new Tahlequah expansion, which we’re opening in the spring of 2019, will have the electronic version of craps and roulette at that property.”
Ward also noted craps and roulette will “reenergize” casino card games. “That’s what we’ve seen. It adds another layer of excitement to the existing games,” he said.
