The Otoe-Missouria Tribe recently broke ground on a 30,000 square foot water park and announced it will add 60 new guest rooms at the 7 Clans First Council Hotel and Casino near Arkansas City, Oklahoma. Tribal Chairman John Shotton said, “This project is the next phase in our plan to be the top entertainment destination in North Central Oklahoma. The expansion will provide a family entertainment experience unlike any other in our region.” Construction is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Shotton said the casino, built in 2007, has been expanded three times. “We expanded the casino, built the hotel and then the event center. We are always looking for new ways to bring in additional patrons and entertainment venues,” he said.
Shotton noted the property “always been geared toward gamblers coming to the casino. But now, we want the main thing to be an entertainment experience. Anything we can do to bring more people to our resort area. There really is a need for more family-type things that are year-round in our area.”
The water park will feature a lazy river, rafting and other thrill rides, Shotton said.
He noted about 60 percent of visitors to the casino complex come from south-central Kansas; most are from Wichita. “It’s an hour’s drive from Wichita. We are hoping this provides more jobs. We are expecting several hundred jobs to come out of the project.”
