Due to supply chain delays of construction materials, the Osage Nation in Oklahoma announced it will delay the openings of its new Bartlesville and Pawhuska casinos until 2023.
Both projects were begun on June 15, 2021 and were expected to open this fall. The Bartlesville casino is now expected to open October 27, 2023 and the Pawhuska casino on November 10, 2023.
Osage Casinos Chief Executive Officer Byron Bighorse said, “Both of these new properties in Bartlesville and Pawhuska have been highly anticipated as the demand for our casinos continues to grow. Unfortunately, supply chain issues have created a delay that we could not avoid.”
The tribe’s existing casinos in Bartlesville and Pawhuska will move operations to the new, larger facilities. Both will offer hotels, pools, spas, fitness areas and meeting space, which the existing locations lack.
The new 57,400-square-foot Bartlesville facility, located two miles west of downtown, outside the city limits, will have 500 slots, 100 hotel rooms and 11,800 square feet of meeting space. The current 42,000 square foot property has 440 slots.
Bartlesville City Manager Mike Bailey said, “The nation, being located outside of city limits, will not be subject to city sales tax, will not be subject to city lodging tax, to any of those things.” However, the tribe will pay the city 5 percent of revenue from hotel stays, forecasted to generate $9,000 to $12,000 monthly, Bailey said.
The Pawhuska location will offer 250 electronic games, a 47-room hotel and 3,675 square feet of meeting space.
