First Nations casinos opening in 1996

Native Gaming

Guide to Indian Country Page 15

If the plans of First Nations across Canada bear fruit, there will be a

series of major casinos opened on reserves across the country later this

year. Led by the flagship in Ontario at the Chippewas of Rama Band near

Orillia, late summer and fall should be an exciting time for those who

hope to have a flutter at the tables.

Casino Rama will be a state-of-the-art gaming and entertainment

facility which will be opening at the end of July, if current estimates

hold. The casino will be the biggest in Canada, and more than 2,200

slot machines are planned, which will take denominations from 25 cents

up to $100. There will be 109 game tables, at which patrons will be

able to indulge in blackjack, roulette, baccarat, mini baccarat,

Caribbean stud poker, pai grow poker, let it ride and big six. Visitors

will also be able to eat in one of four restaurants or to enjoy live

entertainment in the Silver Nightingale Lounge. The casino also will

operate a retail gift shop.

One of the unique design features of Casino Rama will be the

spectacular exterior art wall featuring Aboriginal art. The 3,300-sq. m

mural will consist of 450 aluminum panels depicting the seven clan

animals of the Chippewas: fish, crane, loon, bear, marten, bird, and

deer. It will be the work of Rama artists at the M'njikaning Art

Studio.

Inside, Casino Rama will be a showcase of high-tech designs and

traditional influences with a wall of water fountain, a dazzling laser

light show called the "Circle of Nature" and other Native art work. The

casino compares in size with any on the continent, with 17,500 sq m of

floor space, approximately 5,900 sq. m on one level gaming floor.

The area surrounding the casino features numerous tourist

attractions--nearby beaches, water skiing, boating, and other summer

recreational opportunities abound on the local lakes, and winter

activities include skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing.

Orillia is nearby, and the city offers visitors full services of a

small Ontario city. The casino will be making a Rama Players Card

available to patrons, and it will offer discounts at area facilities,

services and retailers. This kind of packaging points to success,

according to experts.

"If there's a marriage between (gaming and cultural attractions) it can

make them very successful", said Warren Skea, a specialist in Native

gaming and Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Calgary.

"The key is geographic location. The Pequots (in populous Connecticut)

can build a huge casino, but the Chippewas in northern Michigan were not

able to do so."

The Sault St. Marie casino was used to provide seed money for diverse

economic developments in the area, not in any way related to the

casino. Skea explained that this was the best possible use of casino

profits in areas where casino attendance alone is not going to make the

operating band rich.

Elsewhere, by the end of the year, there will be five casinos operating

in Saskatchewan creating revenue for the province's First Nations.

Three are already operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming

Association, the Northern Lights Casino at Prince Albert and the Golden

Eagle Casino at North Battleford, and the provincially operated Las

Vegas-style Casino Regina, from which a percentage of profit goes to

Native coffers. Two other SIGA casinos will open in 1996, at Yorkton

and at the White Bear First Nation north of Estevan. Each will give

patrons the same look--a community-scale casino with both table and

machine gambling opportunities.

The Golden Eagle Casino, for example, offers blackjack, roulette,

poker, big six and red dog, as well as other table games. It has VLTs

and slot machines, as well, and the slots range from nickel slots up to

$25. Casino manager Lorne Bick said that there will be progressives and

that SIGA is looking into linking the four casinos it operates. The

other three SIGA casinos are somewhat different, but will offer most if

not all of te same things.

Other jurisdictions in Canada offer varying levels of gaming. British

Columbia offers small-scale casinos but rejects a Las Vegas-style model

and also rejects VLTs. Albert has VLTs all over the province, and has

allowed casinos on a charitable model for years, which has been extended

to First Nations according to recommendations contained in a recently

released report by a government committee to look into Native gaming

(and which is under review).

Manitoba's First Nations can regulate bingos and pull tickets on

reserves, but the province rejects casinos in all forms and severely

limits and regulates VLTs. In New Brunswick, the Woodstock Band has an

agreement with the provincial government to operate a high-stakes bingo

with Monte Carlo nights, but casino-type gambling is not permitted. The

band is developing a 1,200-seat bingo hall and will make up pull tickets

for use on the reserve. Other New Brunswick First Nations are expected

to negotiate similar agreements based on the Woodstock model.

For information on local casino availability, call the casino directly

at the local number. Check the yellow pages locally under both "Bingo"

and "Casinos."