The Osage Nation’s 0 million casino and hotel in north Tulsa recently held a topping off ceremony. Tribal and local officials signed a white ceremonial I-beam to be installed at the top of the seven-story, 141-room hotel under construction at Osage Casino. Officials said the 18-month project will be completed by fall 2018 and after that existing structures will be razed. The hotel will offer six suites, four hospitality suites, a fitness center and resort-style pool.
The 66,280 square foot facility will feature a state-of-the-art casino with 1,550 electronic gaming machines, 16 table games and five poker tables, plus a brew pub, sports bar and grill, café and event center. It will create 435 jobs with wages and salaries of more than $32 million annually.
Osage Nation Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said the “stellar facility” will be able to “compete with our good neighbors the Cherokee Nation and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,” who respectively operate the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at the River Spirit Casino. Standing Bear added with “ever shrinking” federal money, casino revenues will help fund Osage Nation programs, including day care, college scholarships and healthcare.
“We do have license tags, we do have a shrinking revenue source from tobacco, but we need these casinos in order to provide essential educational opportunities and health benefits for our people. That’s where the money goes,” Standing Bear said.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum added northern Tulsa is “long overdue for economic revitalization and growth.” Bynum noted Osage Casino Chief Executive Officer Byron Bighorse “demonstrated to your management here that making such a sizable capital investment is a safe and smart move.”
