Shawnee tribal leaders recently announced they will develop a casino-entertainment center, the Golden Mesa Casino, in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The tribe will partner with Global Gaming Solutions in the project. Shawnee Tribe Chief Ron Sparkman, said, “We are pleased to announce our plans today to develop a casino entertainment center just outside Guymon, Oklahoma. Today’s announcement comes after two years of thorough research that confirmed the viability of building a 60,000 square foot, high quality center in the heart of the Oklahoma Panhandle.” Construction will begin late 2016 on the casino, which will be first in the area, with the next closest in Dodge City, Kansas.
Tribal leaders said the new casino will feature a gaming floor with 600 electronic games and eight blackjack tables, plus a restaurant and bar. The venue will accommodate future expansions. The project will create 175 new jobs with a total annual payroll of nearly $4 million that will boost the local economy and benefit existing retail, hospitality and restaurant businesses, Sparkman said. He added an economic feasibility study indicated “The new center will position Guymon and the entire Oklahoma Panhandle as an entertainment and tourist destination point, attracting visitors from Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado.”
Russell Evans, senior economist at the Oklahoma City University Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute, said, “We’ve known for a long time casino entertainment centers in Oklahoma drive tourism dollars to the state, which, in turn, support local businesses, benefit communities and support a range of government services. The intangible benefits of a casino entertainment center in the Oklahoma Panhandle will be higher than in other areas because it will contribute substantially to creating a robust hospitality and tourism industry in this part of the state. It will be a real win-win for the area.”
Vicki-Ayres Portman, executive director for the Panhandle Regional Economic Development Coalition, noted, “Diversifying the economy in the Panhandle of Oklahoma is one of the top priorities of our organization. The new casino entertainment center will bring quality new jobs and substantial economic benefits to the entire Panhandle region. We look forward to working with Chief Sparkman and his leadership team to bring this development to fruition.” Added Sparkman, “We look forward to joining the local business community and working together for the greater good of the region.”
