The Osage Nation recently announced the grand opening for the tribe’s new $160 million casino, located four minutes north of downtown Tulsa, will be Friday, August 31. Osage Casino Chief Executive Officer Byron Bighorse explained the tribe calls the new venue the “downtown” casino because “We are the closest casino to downtown and you see the expansion of all the construction of all of everything that has happened downtown. We really feel like we are a part of that.”
The property includes a 247,000 square foot gaming floor, a 141-room hotel with meeting space, a 4,000 square foot brewery, a 6,000 square foot outdoor entertainment area with a 120,000 gallon pool and a new parking garage.
Bighorse acknowledged the impact of two new competitors the Muscogee Tribe’s River Spirit Casino Resort and the Cherokee Nation’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, both located in the Tulsa area. He said, “I want to continue to grow this business well for my tribe. This is an economic development revenue source for the tribe that is critical.” Bighorse noted the new casino will create hundreds of jobs in the near future—and more if retail development occurs.
The casino currently operating on the site will be demolished following the grand opening of the new facility.
