july august 2017 casino conection by GateHouse Southwest

Game On!

New games appeal to Millennials

tribal talk

JULY - AUGUST 2017

Event

Entertainment

Indulge

The baddest little show on earth

Every tattoo, every scar

Breakfast Anyone?

WHAT’S HAPPENING at GRAND LAKE CASINO

HWY 10 N. OF GROVE • GRANDLAKECASINO.COM

SEE PLAYERS CLUB FOR DETAILS ON ALL PROMOTIONS. MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS.

1. Buffalo Run Casino

918-542-7140 1000 Buffalo Run Blvd. • Miami, OK

2. Cherokee Casino

918-422-6300 2416 U.S. 412 • West Siloam Springs, OK

3. Downstream Casino 918-919-6000 69300 E Nee Rd • Quapaw, OK

4. Grand Lake Casino

918-786-8528 24701 S. 655 Rd. (Hwy. 10) • Grove, OK

5. High Winds Casino

918-541-9463 61475 East 100 Road • Miami, OK

6. INDIGO SKY CASINO * 918-666-8702 70220 Hwy. 60 • Wyandotte. OK

7. Kansas Crossing

620-240-4400 1275 S. Highway 69 • Pittsburg, KS

8. Outpost CASINO

918-666-6770 69701 East 100 Road • Wyandotte, OK

9. Lucky Turtle Casino

918-678-2877 64499 E Highway 60 • Wyandotte, OK

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Entertainment

Event Facilities

Concerts

Dinner Buffet or AYCE

Off-Track Betting

Blackjack

Poker

Lodging

Dining

Casinos

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10. PRAIRIE MOON Casino 918-542-8670 202 S Eight Tribes Trl • Miami, OK

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11. PRAIRIE SUN Casino 918-541-2150 3411 P Street NW • Miami, OK

12. Quapaw Casino 918-540-9100 58100 E 64 Rd • Miami, OK

13. Stables Casino

918-542-7884 530 H Street Southeast • Miami, OK

14. River Bend Casino (formerly Wyandotte Casino)

918-678-4946 2 Turtle Drive • Wyandotte, OK

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15. BORDERTOWN CASINO 918-666-9401 129 Oneida St, Wyandotte, OK

16. Cherokee Casino gROVE

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918-786-1300

E 250 Rd • Grove, OK * Bingo ** Tuesday all you can eat crab legs *** Wednesday all you can eat crab legs **** Sunday all you can eat crab legs

COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

July - August

table of contents

Volume 5 • Issue 1

NEOK Casino Connection is a bimonthly publication of Gatehouse Media dba The Miami News-Record, 14 1st Ave, NW. Miami, OK 74354.

14 event

INDULGE

20 -21 FACES & PLACES 22 STAY AND PLAY

Design Director Bob Markham

Golfers just want to have fun

26 the perks You say it’s your birthday?

27 tRIBAL TALK Eastern Shawnee break ground

6 FEATURE

9 ENTERTAINMENT

28 event

New games appeal to Millennials

Every tattoo, every scar

Promoters see something special in Conwell

side. It’s summertime so stay around, save some gas money and find a local casino to hang out in, but don’t neglect to ask for a package. See how you can do that in this issue. When you make serve good food at your restaurant you

just have to expand. See how one casino restaurant is doing just that. Get in out of the heat and stay cool inside your favorite casino this summer, you might just win big! As always, Good luck!

What will casinos look like in the future? Will the millennials flock to the slots when they get older? Casinos have been dealing with trying to attract younger crowds and the new game in town may be the start of it. Read about it in4

PUBLISHER Cheryl Franklin Advertising DIRECTOR Cheryl Franklin 417-629-8901

24-25 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

WELCOME

All content copyright Gatehouse Media 2017.

Casino Connection Staff

ART Director/design Edgar Lavinder Jr. Editorial ContribuTIONS Cheryl Franklin Melinda Stotts Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller DISTRIBUTION Linda Heatherly To advertise or submit content advertising@miaminewsrecord.com

Your Room Awaits! At River Bend Casino & Hotel, we have all you need for a day and night of excitement. Kick back, relax and treat yourself to an overnight stay in one of our sleek 92 rooms featuring great amenities and an accommodating, friendly staff. Enjoy a suite or deluxe room, then get your game on at the casino or have a delicious dinner at Twin Bridges Restaurant. Call 918.678.4946 to book your room today!

100 JACKPOT PLACE | WYANDOTTE, OK 74370 | 866.447.4946 | WWW.RIVERBENDCASINO.COM Must be 18 years of age or older.

Game On!

feature

New games appeal to Millennials INTERVIEW BY Cheryl Franklin | Casino Connection

here’s a new game in town and Downstream Casino is the first to offer it in Oklahoma. The games are made by Gamblit Gaming and with its video game characteristics is expected to draw a younger crowd who have grown up with digital media and games.

What is Gamblit?

According to Marcus Yoder of Gamblit Gaming, Gamblit takes new and existing casual video games and gamblifies them to be played for real money wagering right on the casino floor. “All of the casinos have always banged their head against the wall trying to 6

figure out how to draw a younger crowd,” said Sean Harrison, of Downstream Casino. These new games based on skillset may change the way casinos look in the future. “We are really excited to launch these games at Downstream,” Darion Lowenstein, Gamblit’s Chief Marketing Officer said. Gamblit recently launched their first games in Nevada, California, and on a cruise line. “We first saw it at a trade show in Vegas,” John Boyce, Gaming Director of Downstream said.. “We got to visit the booth where we got to play the games and we liked the idea.”

Downstream will be the first casino in Oklahoma to have the Gamblit Model G machine and two games: Gamblit Poker™ and Cannonbeard’s Treasure™ Also Downstream will host the world premiere of a brand new table game called “Gamblit Poker Live!™, Yoder said. The live game is basically poker where the best poker hand wins big! Gamblit Poker™ puts 2-4 players into a highly social, head to head interactive table experience that can result in cash winnings. The player with the best hand wins the pot. What sets it apart from other gaming machines is that you’re actually competing against other players at the table, but

feature

only one can win the prize. There are two models of the game that are being launched at Downstream Casino. Cannonbeard’s Treasure™ is more like a video game where an adventure awaits in the deep blue as 2-4 players engage in a fast paced game of cards, skill and naval warfare! Players build a hand by grabbing the cards they need, and reach the objective first to win a chest of gold and blast their way to a fortune, not unlike popular video games. In Gamblit Poker Live! Two to six players compete in card-snatching, buttonbashing action. Players, on a felt poker table, pound big bright buttons to make the best 3-card poker hand possible! Two

monitors, immersive sound and LED lighting enhance the experience - celebrating wins and intensifying the drama. The player with the best hand wins the pot! Boyce said the Gamblit units will be located near the Legends Sports Bar where a younger crowd traditionally gathers and where it will draw attention. “We done at least 300 exit interviews and have found that the median age playing the game is mid thirties,” Lowestein said. That is about 20 years younger than the average casino game player. “For the casino guest, we bring a great way for them to play socially with their friends or new friends all with the thrill

and fun of wagering.” Lowenstein said when they first launched the Gamblit games they were anxious to see how they would be received. “When we first launched at Planet Hollywood we found one whole family playing the game together and they played almost two hours,” he said. He asked them what attracted them to the game and the grandmother said it was a game they could play together and that is was affordable. “We kind of look at it like the concept of game night with the family,” he said. Some of the other games Gamblit has rocket CONTINUES ON PAGE 8 7

feature rocket CONtinued from PAGE 7

up its sleeve in other states including Nevada and California are games that people would basically find on their phone but have turned them into a gambling game. The units have multiple games and Gamblit plans to add more games as they are developed. “We have a wide range of games, for both the novice and the skilled player,” Lowenstein said. “If you have played Words with Friends or Candy Crush, you’ll like our word match games, too.” For instance, Jetpack Joyride, which has had 350 million downloads and has 14 million monthly active players has been gamblified by Gamblit. Catapult King, another popular game on mobiles featured in the App Store and Google Play, has been redesigned by Gamblit so that whenever you launch the catapult it runs a bet and depending how good you are at knocking down different

different backgrounds, and I think we can have something that appeals to everyone.”

What’s Next?

A new innovation from Gamblit Gamblit’s VRC (Virtual Reality Cube) gaming platform, which will allow players, as well as spectators, to wager on their success in fighting monsters while playing The Brookhaven Experience, one of the most viral VR games ever made. The cube, exhibited by Gamblit at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas last fall was a popular photo opp. “We actually had professional zombies knights you can win cash. sneak inside the booth after the player Another popular mobile game, Into put their glasses on,” Lowenstein said. The Dead, enables you to win cash by “When they took their glasses off the killing zombies. Some of the games even mimic a video look on their face and the screams were priceless.” pinball machine where hitting things Lowenstein said Gamblit plans to such as gold coins gets you a win. showcase their games at the Oklahoma “When you think about it, casino guests are a mix of humanity,” Lowenstein Indian Gaming Association Conference said, “ages 21 to 100, different ethnicities, Trade Show in August in Oklahoma City.  players minimum (max ) needed to start the game, so grab a friend or join any game in progress!

Insert your money or ticket into the bill validator. Press “Bet” to place your bet and play the game.

The wheel shows the prize amount you are playing for. The prize will increase with more players in the game.

Each player is dealt two cards at the start of the game. Press “Grab Card!” to claim the card in the center before your opponent beats you to it! Remember to build the best poker hand possible.

Player with the best hand wins the prize.

entertainment

Every tattoo, every scar Brantley Gilbert brings ‘The Devil Don’t Sleep’ to Buffalo Run INTERVIEW BY Melinda Stotts | Casino Connection

MIAMI – It’s all out there in his music. Country music superstar Brantley Gilbert puts his life experiences, good and bad in lyrics and songs getting the crowds up and singing. Gilbert’s latest tour promoting his newest #1 all-genre Top 200 album, ‘The Devil Don’t Sleep,’ released in January 2017, is drawing big audiences and fans out to hear Gilbert’s intense vocals and hard, nothing held back, electric guitar heavy, unique sound. Gilbert brought his show to the stage on June 17 at the Buffalo Run outdoor Amphitheater with Aaron Lewis as his opener. Tattooed and looking more like a biker than a country singer, Gilbert has hit the Country music scene strong, stealing the show and gaining more and more fans. “All I’ve ever done (with my songwriting) is write my life. All these songs are pages from life, and the albums are chapters,” Gilbert said. Gilbert is one of only four Country acts, along with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Eric Church, to have back-to-back platinum selling albums with six #1 singles including; “One Hell of an Amen,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “Bottoms Up.” His tour is selling out shows across the country. Hot on tour, Gilbert stopped before a show for an interview with the Miami News Record, producer of Casino Connection. Melinda Stotts (MS): I just read the People magazine article. It doesn’t get much better, baby boy on the way, devoted and beautiful wife, huge music career blowing up — How’s it feel to be Brantley Gilbert right now? Brantley Gilbert (BG): “It feels pretty good, but it’s also very busy. We’re getting ready to take on a whole new chapter that we’ve never experienced before, so, we’re kind of trying to get everything tidied up and ready.” GILBERT CONTINUES ON PAGE 18 9

indulge

Breakfast Anyone?

hether you are in the area on vacation or just enjoying the summer in your own community a hearty breakfast is just the thing to get the day started. Several area casino restaurants offer All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffets, many of which rival five star hotel restaurants.

Casino Restaurants that offer Breakfast Buffets include: Indigo Sky Casino At Indigo Sky’s Shawanoe Restaurant the Breakfast Buffet is a popular place for visitors staying at their hotel and for locals who know good food when they see it.

Everyday: Breakfast Buffet (7am - 11am) $7.99 | Kids $3.99 (*Omelet station available on Saturday & Sunday) Buffet includes: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese Tator Tots with Cheese Potato Wedges with butter and herbs Bacon and Sausage Biscuits and Gravy Pancakes Yogurt Bar with assorted toppings Assorted Pastries Assorted Fresh Fruit Cinnamon Monkey Bread

River Bend Casino At River Bend Casino and Hotel you can wake up to a scrumptious breakfast buffet and all you can eat is even more exciting.

Everyday: 7am-10am: $7.99 per person Scrambled Eggs with Cheese Smoked Bacon Sausage Links Breakfast Potatoes Biscuits and Gravy Fresh Fruit Granola Assorted Yogurt

Buffalo Run 55+ Breakfast Buffet FREE Breakfast Buffet inside the Trailer Park Bar N’ Grill for guests 55 and over. Guests under 55 eat for $3. Must be a member of the Player’s Club.

Wednesdays: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Downstream Casino’s Buffalo Grill All You Can East Breakfast Buffet, everything you can imagine for breakfast and more. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. $9.95 BREAKFAST CONTINUES ON PAGE 12 10

indulge

breakfast CONtinued from PAGE 10

OUR PICKS: Cherokee Grove Casino

Farmer’s Skillet: 3 eggs scrambled, cheddar cheese, tomato, avocado, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms on golden hash browns, with choice of toast or biscuit - 6.99

Joe’s Trailer Park at Buffalo Run

Joe’s Omelet combo: Peppers, Onion, Mushrooms, Cheese, Texas Toast, Potato Rounds, and Choice of Sausage or Bacon - $6.00

Buffalo Grille

Breakfast BLT: (A traditional BLT topped with a fried egg) Come with hash browns - $7.99

Twin Bridges Restaurant at River Bend Casino

Grilled Breakfast Burrito: 3 Eggs, Grilled Peppers and Onions, Choice of 2 Meats and Melted Cheddar Cheese. Served with Breakfast Potatoes. - $7.99. Grilled Breakfast Burrito

Shawanoe Restaurant at Indigo Sky

Chicken Fried Steak Breakfast: topped with creamy country gravy, served with two eggs, any style, hash browns and toast. - $8.99. 12

HOME OF THE

LOOSEST SLOTS STAY & PLAY PACKAGES | SUNDAY – THURSDAY

Visiting Buffalo Run Casino, take advantage of our Stay & Play packages. Stay & Play packages include hotel accommodations, dining credits and free play.

ADVANTAGE – $139

$50 Buffalo Bucks, $40 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay

GETAWAY – $199

$100 Buffalo Bucks, $75 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay

ELITE – $299

$200 Buffalo Bucks, $100 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay *Stay & Play Packages are available Sunday - Thursday only. Buffalo Bucks may be redeemed for slot play only. Alcohol and Gratuities are excluded.

1000 BUFFALO RUN BLVD | MIAMI, OK 74354

WWW.BUFFALORUN.COM | 918.542.7140 ext. 1 MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 800.522.4700

entertainment

THE BADDEST little show on earth

INTERVIEW BKaylea M. Hutson-Miller | Casino Connection

illed a s a “full tilt midget mayhem” with a mixture of sport and showmanship, the Extreme Midget Wrestling team took center stage in June at Club 60 West at River Bend Casino in Wyandotte. At the epicenter of each show, organized by Center Stage Entertainment, is Lil’ Nasty Boy, also known as Philip Campbell. At 52, Campbell is one of the oldest members of the team – not only in age, but also in seniority. The Oklahoma wrestler first entered the ring 35 years ago. He joined the Extreme Midget Wrestling Team more than seven years ago, when Skyler Ward began to formulate the group. His teammates include King, Bad Little Outlaw, Little Pecker, Paddy McGreggor and Mean Mike Stone. show CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

This is awesome, because I love making people smile. They may be frowning at the beginning, and hate me, but I’ll make [them] smile. - Philip Campbell

entertainment

photos by Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller/Casino Connection

Audience members watch the Extreme Midget Wrestling action during a recent show at River Bend Casino in Wyandotte. The Texas-based group showcases the sport on a regular basis in northeast Oklahoma.

(Above) Little Nasty Boy - also known as Phillip Campbell - puts a hold on Mean Mike Stone during a recent Extreme Midget Wrestling show at River Bend Casino in Wyandotte. (Below) King keeps Paddy McGreggor in a hold while engaging with audience members during a recent Extreme Midget Wrestling show at River Bend Casino in Wyandotte. The two hour show included action inside and outside of the ring.

entertainment

Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller/Casino Connection

Little Nasty Boy - also known as Phillip Campbell - strikes a pose for the audience during a recent Extreme Midget Wrestling show at River Bend Casino in Wyandotte. At 52, Campbell is one of the oldest wrestlers on the team.

a majority of the two-hour production. He also wrestles in at least two rounds – includ“I’m a ham,” Campbell said. “I’m an entertainer. I make sure ing the concluding fight, which includes every member of the everybody leaves here having team. a good time. I’ve been doing “This was a childhood this for 35 years, I should get it dream,” Campbell said. “I right.” fulfilled it. Campbell’s role includes serving as the announcer for “I hunted it down and killed

show CONtinued from PAGE 14

Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller/Casino Connection

The “King” sits back and watches the action duirng a recent Extreme Midget Wrestling Show at River Bend Casino in Wyandotte. it. I’ve been living my dreams since I was 17.” Campbell said he grew up watching WWE professional wrestlers Ric Flair, Rick Rude and Hulk Hogan fight. “I took a little bit of all of them, and put it together,” Campbell said, of his character Lil Nasty Boy.

Part villain, part showman, Campbell said he strives to get the audience to “hate him” but then end the evening walking away loving his character. “This is awesome, because I love making people smile,” Campbell said. “They may be show CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

entertainment SHINE CONtinued from PAGE 16

frowning at the beginning, and hate me, but I’ll make [them] smile.” Campbell said he loves the adrenaline rush that comes, as he steps into the ring during each show. “When you come out in front of the crowd, you become a whole new person,” he said. He even has a theme song for his in-ring persona “Sexy and I know it” by LMFAO. “And I’m not afraid to show it,” Campbell said with a laugh. Despite injuries – which do occur despite precautions - Campbell said the broken fingers and toes, and twisted knees and ankles, are worth it in the end. “When you are passionate, and love something you can’t just turn and walk away,” Campbell said. “This is something I’ve done for so long, it would be hard to stop.

“I just want to have people leave, feeling like I’ve entertained them.” Extreme Midget Wrestling comes to River Bend Casino at least once every year. Additional information about the group may be found at https:// extrememidgetwrestling.com or on Facebook at “ExtremeMidgetWrestling”

entertainment

GILBERT CONtinued from PAGE 12

MS: In checking out your media, I see you are who you are, forged by life, the good and the bad, unapologetic, keeping a close circle – and putting it all in your music. How’d music become such an important part of who you are and a part of your world? BG: “You know it just started at an early age, and I was really big about writing songs. I didn’t really want to learn with any other people, I just kind of wanted to do my own thing.” MS: When I write about music artist I have to find words and metaphors to describe their particular sound. You have such a unique and special voice, it has a physicality, it’s an all in sound, and I was trying to figure out how to describe that. I was kind of thinking it’s like thunder or a Harley passing by, you hear it and you feel it, trouble and pleasure together. How would you describe your voice and your music? BG: “Oh darlin’, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been asked me that before I don’t think. I don’t know. I just kind of write in a spot that’s comfortable for my voice. I’m definitely not Carrie Underwood, but I sing good enough to make it through a song. (laughs)” MS: I understand you’ve written or cowritten all your albums. Every songwriter I interview says they write about their experiences and their own lives. What makes you want to put your personal, emotional, good and bad experiences, all of it, out there in songs? BG: “You know, it just gets it out front. I really enjoy being a what you see is what you get guy. That takes a lot of pressure off. I don’t have to remember stories or remember any lies. It just is what it is. I’m just me, and I write songs about it.” MS: I’m really interested in what it takes to put together a new album, that creative process. Tell me how that comes together, where do you start, with a theme, a song, a title? BG: “Well for me all my records are chapters of my life, and we start the minute we finish one up it just keeps up right there. 18

I write every time I get a chance. When I get to a point where I feel it’s been a full chapter, which sometimes takes two or three years, we’ll sit down and put songs together and find out which ones tell the story the best and hit the hardest, and kind of come at it that way.” MS: I like that because you don’t push it, you do it when you’re ready to. Is it true you choose spiritual titles for your albums? Why is that personally important for you? BG: “Just as a believer that’s always been my real one true north. I am rough around the edges, but at the end of the day I’m a believer, and I think it’s important that people know that.” MS: Another part of your honesty and being real too. BG: “Yeah.” MS: “The Weekend” is the perfect summer fun song – and we’ll be cranking it for sure as we head out this weekend for a big canoe trip with friends. You sure have some giant party songs and then you have penned deep and moving gut-wrenching songs such as “One Hell of an Amen.” I wondered what song made you love Country? BG: “You know there’s so many. I think “Simple Man,” has that kind of a quality.” MS: You probably don’t live or die by reviews, but what’s the best thing someone ever said about your music? BG: “Uhhh, I’m not real sure. You’ve had some nice things to say today. You’re right I’m not really a live or die by review guy and I kind of stay in my little world as much as possible. I try not to listen to a whole lot of folks because you might start believing them.” MS: When you’re on stage, and you see the words and emotions connecting, how great is that? When you touch a nerve with songs that are so personal to you, how’s that feel? BG: “It is for sure. I’ve learned that if it’s’ not something you’re trying to do, you know what I mean, if you’re just writing a song, it seems to happen more. It seems like folks can relate more to the songs that are little more

than skin deep. But yeah, you love that part, it’s one of my favorite parts of my job. Being able to rock with and just hang out with them and party and play music for ‘em.” MS: There’s a lyric from the “Outlaw in Me,”... “She gets every flaw, my rebel art, every tattoo, every scar.” So, I’ve got to ask you, what’s your favorite tattoo and why? BG: “They’ve all kind of molded into one, so I don’t know. There kind of chapters in my life too. My guns are very new, and so we’ll go with them for right now.” MS: What’s next for you, this is such a big album, and it’s full of so many great songs — do you have anything new planned coming up? BG: “I’m just going to keep rolling with the punches, driving this thing until the wheels fall off and then put some more wheels on it and ride it ‘til they fall off.” MS: We’re excited here, so I’m looking forward to seeing you and your show. I appreciate your time, and I’ll let you get back to it Brantley. BG: “All right darlin’, thank you, have a good day.”

faces & places Bert won a Camaro Convertible in Grand Lake Casinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cruizinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Grand promotion!

Angela R. won Jackpot for $10,478.04 at Downstream Casino

Charles M. won a Jackpot for $5,000 at Downstream Casino

Congratulations to Cheryle F. from Oklahoma. She won $12,491 on Ultimate Texas Hold Em by playing the new progressives at Buffalo Run Casino. Lawrence D. won Jackpot for $20,000 at Downstream Casino

Lysa won $2500 at River Bend Casino Jennie was the big winner and took home the latest convertible in the Cruisin Grand Promotion at Grand Lake Casino. Terry C. won a Jackpot for $9,322.40 at Downstream Casino

faces & places

Brantley Gilbert brought his show to the stage on June 17 at the Buffalo Run outdoor Amphitheater

The newest member of the Four State Franchise, Conwell is off to a 3-0 start following a first-round TKO win over Jeffrey Wright

Patricia won a 2017 GMC Terrain in the Cruizinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Into Summer Giveaway at River Bend Casino!

Makayla and Lowell scored a $10,000 jackpot at River Bend Casino

Congratulations to Betty on her $1,912 jackpot!

Charles! He took home a brand new riding lawnmower on Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day by playing Blades of Glory at Grand Lake Casino 21

stay and play

Golfers just want to have fun.

Who doesn’t like a good deal? If you are planning some golf this summer and need a place to stay, area casinos are a smart deal. Golfers can’t go wrong with a Stay and Play Packages offered and can even add a little food and fun to the mix. Hotel room costs are a breeze, especially when you can package it with fun. Many of the area casinos that have hotels offer packages that can make you feel like you’re on vacation, whether you are or just playing hooky from work for a couple of days. At Grand Lake Casino, for instance, locals and visitors alike can stay in lodge styles rooms that are just a hop, skip and a jump away from Grand Lake or just over the bridge to Grand Lake Casino. Tee up with your friends at the beautiful golf courses in Grove, Oklahoma. Grand Lake Casino partners with Patricia Island Golf Club which features fantastic views of Grand Lake. Guests of The Lodge at Grand Lake Casino can add Patricia Island golf packages to their reservations and enjoy the ultimate Grand Lake golfing experience with green fee and cart packages starting at $40 per person on weekdays and $45 on the weekends. Green fees and golf cart is included! Other stay and play packages include 1 night stay, $220 free play and a $35 Voucher

for the Casino’s Venue 655, a trendy restaurant/bar and entertainment venue right inside the casino. Their Premium Package includes one night stay, $100 Free Play, and a $20 Voucher to Venue 655. The Classic Package is a steal for $99 with one night stay, $75 Free Play and a $10 Voucher to Venue 655. “It’s a great deal, for the last couple of months we fill up the lodge every Friday with stay and play packages,” said Grand Lake Casino General Manager Dusty Logan. Logan said between the amount of free play and the dinner voucher the package pretty much pays for the room and even a good idea for locals. “We do have quite a few of the local people that take advantage of the stay and play,” he said. The golf rounds with Patricia Island are an add on at a discounted rate. “You can go play golf during the day, come back to the hotel relax for a little bit, then go and eat dinner and play at Grand Lake Casino,” Logan said. At Buffalo Run Casino, Stay and Play Packages from Sunday through Thursday include hotel accommodations, dining credits and free play. Here are some of the deals currently offered. ADVANTAGE - $139: $50 Buffalo Bucks, $40 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay; GETAWAY - $199: $100 Buffalo Bucks, $75 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay; ELITE - $299: $200 Buffalo Bucks, $100 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay. Golf rounds for the Peoria Ridge Golf Course, can be added to your stay. At Peoria Ridge Golf Course, they pride themselves on the high quality of magnificent golf, superb amenities and outstanding service

that are offered. They have worked hard over the years to become a staple of the community, with high profile tournaments and in the process have earned recognition as one of the region’s premier golf experiences. You can also present your Buffalo Run Casino Player’s Card for up to $10 off of regular prices. At Downstream Casino hotel guests can add $30 to their room rate per golfer and save on green fees at the Bald Eagle Course. The Bald Eagle Course, Par 71 is a 6785 yards of luscious Bermuda fairways and pristine greens surrounded by tall trees that create a truly peaceful environment for you to relax and enjoy your game. Play 9 or 18 holes and enjoy lunch at the Bar & Grill. At Indigo Sky you can find Stay and Play packages on Groupon. We found a one night stay for two in a deluxe king or deluxe double-queen room with two rounds of 18 hole golf with cart at Patricia Island Golf Club on Grand Lake for $219. We also found some more options that included slot credit that basically paid for your room. Included in all options was a $30 dining credit at Sky Grille, Ridge Café, or Shawanoe Restaurant & Bar. Still some other area casinos with hotels have stay and play options available, you just have to present your Player’s Card and ask and offers are always changing so don’t hesitate to ask.

calendar of events Bordertown Casino

Cherokee Casino gROVE

JULY 1st - Wesley Michael Hayes 7th - Lickitty Split 8th - Southern Ground 14th - Diversity 15th - Derryl Perry 21st - Rocked n Loaded 22nd - Runnin’ On Empty 28th - Judge Parker 29th - Bo Phillips

July 1st - Phil Vaught / 10pm Mayday By Midnight 2nd - 2 Steps Back 3rd - Jake/Kyle (Acoustic) 4th - Jake/Kyle (Acoustic) 7th - Pumpkin Hollow Band 8th - KC/DC (AC/DC Tribute Band) 14th - Rod Robertson 15th - Wilbur Lee Tucker 21st - RocKFiscH 22nd - Whisky Poet Society 28th - The Rumor 29th - Jimmy Blythe and the Midnight Run Band

August

4th - Material Girl 5th - Shawna Russell 11th - Another Alibi 12th - Cedar Creek 18th - Paralandra 19th - Brent Giddens 25th - Members Only ($10 Cover) 26th - Playboys

Buffalo Run casino july 7th & 8th - The Trailer Park Maylee Thomas Band 12th - Shine Down 14th - Showbox: The New Generation

August

4th - Another Alibi 5th - Phil Vaught 11th - Thomas Martinez 12th - Western Justice 18th - Western Justice 19th - George Brothers 25th - Reverse Reaction 26th - Eddie Valen

Downstream Casino Resort july 1st - Uncrowned Kings – classic rock 2nd - Paul Bogart – country/rock 2nd - Montgomery Gentry & Charlie Daniels Band 3rd - Allison Arms – variety country 7th - Earl &amp; Them – variety rock/blues 13th - Ray Charles & Company, from Branson 15th - Mark Chapman Band – new country 21st - Retrorockerz – classic rock 22nd - RJoe Giles &amp; the Homewreckers – classic rock 29th - Rodney Carrington 29th - George Brothers – country/southern rock

calendar of events Grand lake casino

KANSAS CROSSING

july 1st - Barrett Lewis Band 7th - Back in Black, AC/DC Tributed 8th - Deuces Wild 14th - Time Machine 15th - Totally 80’s party 21st - The Hi-Fidelics 22nd - Jumpsuit Love 28th - Lickitty Splitt 29th - This Side Up

July

Indigo sky casino july

1st - Big Smitty 6th - Torn 7th - Southern Ground 8th - Paralandra / Honkytonk 13th - Renovators 14th - Donnie Ray Stevens 15th - Sweet Trouble 20th - Septembers End 21st - FM Live 22nd - Delorean 27th - Brett n Terri 28th - George Brothers 29th - Another Alibi

1st - Dueling Pianos 15th - Tim Meadows 21st - FireHouse

RIVER BEND CASINO / CLUB 60 WEST (formerly Wyandotte Casino)

july

7th - Bobby D Band 8th - UFC 213 Watch Party 21st - Lickitty Splitt 28th - The Stonehorse Band August 4th – Big Smitty 11th - Eddie Valen Band 18th - Lucas Gates 25th - Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice

THE STABLES JULY

First Thursday of each month - Open mic night 7th & 8th - Jozalyn Sharp (Looney Saloon)

August 3rd - Walrus 4th - Travis Kidd 5th - The Uncrowned Kings 10th - Three Dollar Rocket 11th - Southern Green 12th - Hi Fidelics 17th - Brett n Terri 18th - Bobby D Band 19th - Dirty Saints 24th - Dewayne Bowman 25th - Diversity 26th - Rocked N Loaded 31st - Georgia Coast

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Eastern Shawnee break ground on aquatic center INTERVIEW BY Cheryl Franklin | Casino Connection Wyandotte — “We want a pool, we want a pool,” chanted the kids from the Eastern Shawnee Early Childhood Center as they rushed into the groundbreaking ceremony for the tribe’s aquatic center in late May. Eastern Shawnee Chief Glenna Wallace, along with business committee members were on hand as they broke ground for the addition which will be connected to the west end of the tribe’s Wellness Center, located at 10135 S. Bluejacket Road in Wyandotte at the Highway 10-C Complex. center CONTINUES ON PAGE 30

T tribA L K

Cheryl Franklin / Casino Connection

Eastern Shawnee Tribal Chief Glenna Wallace (second from left) and others break ground on Thursday, May 11, for the tribe’s newest facility, and aquatic center.

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event

Promoters see something special in Conwell INTERVIEW BY Jim Ellis | Casino Connection

romoters Tony Holden and Lou DiBella know a thing or two when they come across boxing talent. Both believe they’ve hit the jackpot with former Olympian Charles Conwell. Holden promotes phenoms Trey Lippe Morrison and Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk, and was the promoter of Lippe Morrison’s father, former heavyweight champ Tommy “The Duke” Morrison, as well as Johnny Tapia, Naseem Hamed, Joe Mesi and Allen Green. DiBella is the promoter of current WBC heavyweight

champ Deontay Wilder as well as former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Gabriel Martinez, former middleweight world champions Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins, former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi and former WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto. The newest member of the Four State Franchise, Conwell is off to a 3-0 start following a first-round TKO win over Jeffrey Wright Friday, June 10, in a super welterweight fight at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.

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The main event at Turning Stone saw Regis Prograis score a TKO win against Joel Diaz Jr., to win the NABF super lightweight title. Prograis knocked out Aaron Herrera in the first round on March 25, 2016 at Buffalo Run. Conwell’s next action will be Friday, July 14, at Buffalo Run as part of a card that will be televised by Showtime as its “ShoBox: The New Generation” series. “I think he’s going to be an amazing star … I think he’s going to be a world champion,” Holden said recently. “I was talking to DiBella and he agrees.” Conwell was 132-14 as an amateur and was eliminated in his opening-round bout at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in

August, but was a gold medal at the 2015 National Golden Gloves and the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials. Conwell picked up his first pro win in April at Buffalo Run Casino and Resort then scored another TKO on May 16 in Brooklyn, New York. “I had Conwell on top of my list of American Olympians I was interested in signing,” DiBella said. “I thought he was one of the top two American Olympians with (silver medalist) Shakur Stevenson. I also felt that Charles was the best fit for my company. He’s tremendously poised in the ring for his age, he has great amateur experience, he can punch, he can move, he’s multidimensional. He’s one of those rare talents.

“I had hoped from the beginning I could do a deal with him. It took some patience. I work with other kids Dave manages. He’s a good manager and we can work well together.” While Holden and DiBella are handling the promotion end, David McWaters of Split T Management is Conwell’s manager. “I know that at the Olympic trials and at Continentals where he won the gold medal for North and South America, there would be a time in every fight where the other guy would just quit. They’d had enough,” McWaters said at Conwell’s introductory press conference here in March. “He’s heavy handed and is just on you all the time. It’s just like a bug right there. He’s always hitting you.”

tribal talk center CONtinued from PAGE 27

The new addition, funded by an $800,000 HUD Indian Community Development Block Grant awarded in November, will include a large swimming pool, a warm water therapeutic pool and a whirlpool tub as well as an indoor walking track. Chief Wallace said this was a proud day for her. The pool and walking track will be located next door to the tribe’s elder complex, which will enable individuals who have arthritis, joint pain, and muscle aches as well as diabetes and obesity to benefit from the therapy pool. The pool will also be situated next to the Early Childhood Center, and Wallace said she was excited about the opportunity to offer swim lessons to the youth. “I wasn’t even thinking about children when I first was thinking of a pool,” she said. “I was thinking about adults. I was thinking about aerobics.” “Then, when we had the children it just all came together,” she said. According to Wallace, The Eastern Shawnee Tribe will be the only tribe in the

Cheryl Franklin / Casino Connection

Children from the Eastern Shawnee Early Childhood Center play with pool toys as they cheer on the addition of a new pool at the groundbreaking ceremony for the tribe’s aquatic center on Thursday. four-state area offering a pool for aquatic therapy, for which they see a growing need. Everyone in the community, not solely tribal members, will be able to access the amenities which will be free to tribal citizens with a nominal fee for non-tribal

members. The Construction and design work contract was awarded to Branco Enterprises, in Neosho, Missouri. Construction is set to begin in June and expected to be completed by Oct. 31.

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See One Star Rewards® Club for full rules and details. Winner is responsible for all taxes and other fees. Employees of Cherokee Nation Entertainment are not eligible. Casino reserves the right to delete or modify any promotion at any time and without notice. Know your limits. Gambling problem? Call 800.522.4700.