The Kaw Nation’s SouthWind Casino Braman recently opened in Kay County in north central Oklahoma on the Kansas state line, on 21 acres along I-35 in Braman. The off-reservation casino is the culmination of a 24-year process to make the casino a reality, one of the few off-reservation gaming trust applications approved by the U.S. Department of Interior since 1988.
Pam Shaw, chief operating officer of SouthWind Casinos, said, “All of us at the Kaw Nation are very excited to achieve such a huge milestone. It has been a long time coming. Not only will it bring a new, distinctive, accessible and convenient gaming venue to the region, but it’s an economically viable use of isolated property with minimal environment effects, while at the same time, providing maximum effects on the region’s existing financial state and potential for new jobs and employment.”
Currently housed in a modular building, the casino offers 100 Class II slot machines and bingo-style games. Phase II, expected to open early next year, will consist of a permanent, larger building with a café and bar, table games and 300 class II and class III slot machines operating on IGT’s Advantage System.
Set to open in late 2016, phase three will break ground in late 2015 with a full-service restaurant and bar and an expanded gaming floor with more than 500 slot machines, table games and off-track betting.
The SouthWind Casino Braman will create more than 300 new jobs and employment opportunities for tribal members and the surrounding community, as well as offer significant economic development impact for the Kaw Nation and the region.
