The Quapaw Nation is moving forward on two gambling venues in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The tribe’s new $350 million Saracen Resort Casino is under construction on U.S. 63, and directly across the highway the Saracen Annex, a former VP Truck Stop, also is shaping up.
Quapaw Chairman John Berrey said “We’re going to be adding the annex to it, which will have machines in it for people to begin gaming in approximately five months or less.” The Saracen Annex will offer more than 300 electronic games, Berrey said.
The tribe’s business arm, Downstream Development Authority, secured the Jefferson County gaming license earlier this month.
“At the time we open the Annex, you’ll see the foundation, steel beams and a lot of activity happening at the Saracen main complex,” Berrey said. He expects the casino floor and restaurants to be completed within 11 months, based on the time construction of the Quapaw’s Downstream Casino and Resort in Oklahoma. The hotel is expected to open six months later.
Within the next few weeks the Annex land will be annexed into Pine Bluff city limits so the city can collect taxes on revenue generated there.
