The Choctaw tribe said the $600 million expansion at its Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Oklahoma is nearly complete. Director of Resort Marketing Brien Caldwell said, “We are on schedule. Our grand opening will be in August.”
The new resort addition will offer 1,000 new hotel rooms, new retail shops, restaurants and bars, two movie theatres and more. “We have a 3-acre pool known as Aqua that will have two swimming pools, one for adults only and then one that’s family friendly,” Caldwell added.
He noted, “Like most people in the industry, we did experience a couple of delays, mainly just due to material shortages as well as this past February with the cold snap, that was just a slight delay,” said Caldwell.
Also, Covid-19 caused a two-month shutdown in April and May last year. The casino reopened with new health and safety measure. Now Caldwell said as CDC guidelines lift, the casino will return completely to normal operations. “We’re encouraging our guests to wear a mask if they so choose, but it’s not mandatory,” Caldwell said.
He said the expansion will create more than 1,500 new jobs. To fill them quickly the casino is offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus for certain positions. “Environmental services, housekeeping, valet, security, surveillance, culinary, food and beverage, it’s really across the board,” Caldwell stated.
