Casino gaming is becoming a sophisticated combination of entertainment and gaming, said Sheila Morago, executive director of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association.
Tall Chief spoke during a panel discussion on "Small Market, Big Impact: Entertainment for Tribal Casinos."The entertainment market is saturated, Tall Chief said."Depending on the site, every casino has to decide what works for themselves in their own area," Tall Chief said. "What works well at River Spirit (in south Tulsa) may not work for us (in north Tulsa).""We are looking forward to getting back to Oklahoma City," Morago said.Casinos are smart to use social media, said Kell Houston, owner of Las Vegas-based Houston Productions."Just a few years ago, the Osage had the only real entertainment venue," Cornelius said, referring to the Million Dollar Elm Casino on 36th Street north of downtown Tulsa. "Now we are third. That's how quickly things change."There are about 111 casinos across Oklahoma, and in Tulsa three major tribes operate facilities - the Cherokees, Muscogee (Creek) and the Osage, Morago said.And the market changes quickly."A lot of people are becoming more mature players," Morago said on Wednesday at the Tulsa Convention Center. "People are demanding more from the machines all the time.""It is a pure competitive environment," Cornelius said. "It is almost saturated.""But you have to ask yourself, 'How are you driving your customers back to the casino?'" Houston said. "Entertainment does not make sense if you are not driving business toward your floor.""The connection between the gaming and entertainment crosses on several levels - from music groups to video games - all kinds of entertainment."The OIGA had its annual conference this week for the third straight year in Tulsa. The association attempts to alternate between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, but construction in downtown Oklahoma City over the past two years has forced the group to stay on the north end of the Turner Turnpike, Morago said.More than 2,000 people registered for the three-day event, which ended Wednesday. There were 136 booths across 100,000 square feet of exhibit space.Casinos range in size, from small fuel stops where there might be a couple of games to Thackerville's WinStar World Casino, which is the fifth-largest casino in the nation.Tribes are always searching for ways to drive business to their casinos, said Amy Tall Chief, entertainment director of Million Dollar Elm Casino.Gaming in the Tulsa market is one of the most intense anywhere, said Neil Cornelius, CEO of Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino.Indian gaming has become a huge industry in Oklahoma, with tribes generating about $3.4 billion in 2010, according to the latest figures from the National Indian Gaming Commission report. The Gross Gaming Revenue report said the Oklahoma City market, which consists of the western half of Oklahoma and all of Texas, generated $1.6 billion in gross revenues - up from $1.5 billion the previous year. The report said the Tulsa market, which includes the eastern half of Oklahoma and all of Kansas, generated $1.8 billion in gross receipts, up from $1.7 billion the previous year.The Creek and Cherokee nations each built facilities after the Million Dollar Elm Casino opened.Last year in Oklahoma, 30 tribes paid the state $118.2 million in gaming fees.
"But you have to ask yourself, 'How are you driving your customers back to the casino?'" Houston said. "Entertainment does not make sense if you are not driving business toward your floor."
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