Choctaw Casino Resort
Durant, Oklahoma
OWNER: Choctaw Nation
ARCHITECT: WorthGroup ArchitectS
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Flintco Constructive Solutions
SIZE: 300,000 sq feet
ROOMS & SUITES: 350
CASINO FLOOR: 3,143 slots, 48 table games & 600 bingo seats
AMENITIES: Six restaurants and one lounge
When it opens in the first quarter of 2010, the new Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, will be a world-class destination resort. The 300,000-square-foot facility will be one of the largest casinos in the state.
The project includes a new casino and a new luxury hotel. The casino will house 3,143 slot machines, 48 table games and 600 bingo seats. It also features a 30-table poker room as well as a designated high-limit gaming area.
A number of new dining options are also part of the project, including a 400-seat buffet, a 140-seat cafe and a 120-seat steakhouse. There also will be a smaller Tex-Mex restaurant, a coffee house, a food court and the Diamondback Lounge.
The 10-story luxury hotel will have 330 rooms, including 12 executive suites and one specialty suite. It also will include a number of amenities like an indoor/outdoor pool, a fitness center and a spa.
The expansion allows the tribe to continue to target the Texas market, according to Janie Dillard, director of gaming. Of the estimated 300,000 annual visitors the existing casino attracts, nearly 80 percent are from Texas. And with 700 acres on which to expand in the future, nothing has been ruled out for additional development.
The casino will be designed in a way that focuses on the tribe’s history and culture.
“The design showcases the rich culture and heritage of the Choctaw Nation through interpretive design and tribal influences,” says Bryan Hamlin, vice president of design for WorthGroup Architects.
For the people of Durant, perhaps the most exciting thing about this project is the employment opportunities it will provide. There are currently 1,300 people working at the existing casino, and the tribe hopes to more than double that number to 3,000 when the new facility opens.
