The WinnaVegas Casino and Resort in Sloan, Iowa recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Owned and operated by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, it originally operated in three connected prefabricated units and two mobile trailers. At a ceremony honoring the milestone, Winnebago Tribal Council Chairman Frank White said, “We’ve accomplished a lot in 25 years, and, we’ve actually accomplished a lot in five years. This is only an example of what this nation can do — the Winnebago Tribe and the Ho-Chunk people — and it’s only going to get better.”
In its 25 years, the operation has created hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, built a tourism destination in rural western Iowa, financed numerous social support programs on the Winnebago reservation and provided the seed money for Ho-Chunk Inc., the tribe’s economic development arm. The property includes a 55,000 square foot gambling floor, hotel, restaurants, 300-seat conference center and 1,500 seat entertainment venue.
Tribal Council Vice Chair Vince Bass originated the idea of opening a tribal casino 27 years ago. “We didn’t know anything about gaming, so we had to go find out about gaming because we wanted to do it. There were Indian casinos in existence in Minnesota and Wisconsin so we traveled all over.”
After about 18 months, WinnaVegas opened in April 1992. “I’ve never heard of a casino getting approval from beginning to opening in 18 months. It just doesn’t happen. Some tribes have been waiting 20 years now to get gaming and they still don’t have it, but we’ve been very fortunate and very aggressive in our pursuit of gaming.” Bass added, “We all dreamt for and had visions of a casino that’s something like this. I’m very pleased, we’re very proud of it, we try to keep it clean, we try to be good to our customers, we try to give back. We just do it right. You treat people right and they’ll treat you right, right back and that’s the way it should be.”
General Manager Mayan Beltran worked his way up from a card dealer in the casino’s original temporary location. An enrolled member of the tribe, Beltran worked at WinnaVegas on three separate occasions, returning in December 2014 as general manager after working at various casinos across the country for several years. Beltran said diversifying its offerings and providing excellent customer service has allowed WinnaVegas to remain competitive with newer casinos in Council Bluffs and Sioux City. “They got a casino right in downtown Sioux City, but many people still prefer to come here. I think we’re doing as good as we can possibly do–there’s always room for improvement–but I think we’re doing pretty good,” Beltran said.
WinnaVegas has invested nearly $60 million in additions and renovations over the years. More projects are being planned. Beltran said WinnaVegas will have “major announcements for future development” soon. Meanwhile the venue will offer numerous concerts, a live CBS boxing card and more mixed martial arts fights.
