Casino news from http://desmoinesregister.com/
Meskwaki Settlement, Ia. — Guests entering the Meskwaki Indian tribe's newly expanded casino will be greeted by a dramatic sight of real waterfalls cascading down stone ledges and brilliant orange flames rising from fire pits.
Hundreds of slot machines line the main gambling floor. Farther inside the casino is a hidden lounge for the most-prized customers to relax after betting up to $1,000 a hand on blackjack and other games.
The luxurious new casino, which opens Friday to the public, is part of a $111 million construction project at Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel that represents the most costly expansion ever at an Iowa gambling complex. One of the goals is to make the 14-year-old Meskwaki complex more attractive to gamblers as plush casino operations are launched in the coming months at Waterloo and Riverside.
"This is the first time that we have dealt with competition, but I feel that we are up to the challenge. We are very excited," said Pam Balderas, a Meskwaki tribal member who is the casino's table games manager.
The Meskwaki casino, one of Iowa's most successful gambling enterprises, already draws up to 5,000 customers daily from throughout the Midwest, general manager Dan Stromer said. On a typical day last week, the morning began with the arrival of two tour buses from southern Minnesota. More buses followed later.
By expanding the hotel, adding convention space and providing more amenities, the business intends to make itself a destination point for larger numbers of overnight guests, Stromer said.
The upgraded hotel will have 200 new rooms for a total of 404 hotel rooms, along with a new spa, an exercise area and a larger indoor swimming pool. A new auditorium opening this fall will seat 1,000 guests for meetings or concerts, or 600 people for banquets. A new, larger bingo hall will accommodate 750 people, and there will be a new buffet and a steak house, as well as other dining options. There will also be more slot machines and table games.
"It sounds like it will be very nice. It should be very player-friendly from what I understand," said Steve Moon, a teacher from Denver, Ia., who came here last week to play blackjack and poker.
He said he'll still visit the Meskwaki casino in the future, although he'll also patronize the Isle of Capri's new casino planned in Waterloo.
The first phase of the Meskwakis' renovation project, including the casino and hotel additions, opens Friday, but crews will continue remodeling and work on new structures through early 2007.
The Meskwaki casino is an economic engine for the tribe, with profits providing monthly payments to enrolled tribal members and subsidizing tribal services and other projects. The casino doesn't publicize its finances, but tribal officials disclosed during a legal dispute three years ago that the gambling business generated gross revenue of $3 million weekly.
The National Indian Gaming Commission closed the casino for seven months in 2003 amid an internal struggle over control of the tribal government. The casino originally opened in 1992 and is the largest of three American Indian gambling businesses in Iowa.
One of the keys to the success of the Meskwaki casino has been the lack of nearby competition, allowing it to draw thousands of gamblers from Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Marshalltown and other towns. That situation is likely to change soon with the opening in September of the $107 million Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Washington County, about 14 miles south of Iowa City. Next spring, the Isle of Capri will open a $118 million casino and hotel complex in Waterloo.
Jack Ketterer, administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, said the Meskwaki tribe has made a sound business decision by investing in improvements to its casino complex. "I think they realize they face some competitive pressure, and it's good for them they are doing that," he said.
In nearby Marshalltown, there may be some consternation among hotel operators because of competition from the Meskwakis' hotel expansion, said Ken Anderson, president of the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce. But Marshalltown has partnered with the Meskwaki casino in the past to attract tourists and to cooperate on other projects, he added.
"They are working with us as we work to expand Highway 30" from two lanes to four lanes, Anderson said. "I would say we get some definite benefits - a good percentage of their work force lives in Marshalltown," he added.
Darla Doud of Victor, a cashier at a travel plaza, has been a Meskwaki casino customer for years. She limits her visits to once a week, but she spends as much as 14 to 15 hours at a time here, playing bingo in the afternoon and evening, plus casino games. Doud said she plans to keep coming here, although she'll try her luck at the new Riverside casino as well.
"I hear there is a new bingo room here, and that's one thing a lot of casinos don't have. I think it brings in a lot of business," she said.
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