From California to Connecticut, Native American-owned casinos are attuned to the Millennial market.
According to the 2016 edition of Casino City’s influential “Indian Gaming Industry Report,” 2014, the latest year measured, was the fifth consecutive year of growth for Indian gaming. Led by California and Oklahoma, tribal casinos produced all-time-high gaming revenues of approximately $28.9 billion, or 43.5 percent of all U.S. casino gaming revenue that year. Non-gaming revenue is up 5 percent, reflecting development of broader customer offerings—Millennials included.
Pala Casino Spa & Resort in Northern San Diego County exemplifies the trend.
Owned by the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the 115,000-square-foot, AAA Four Diamond facility offers 507 deluxe hotel rooms, including 82 luxury suites, and 40,000 square feet of flexible space, including a 20,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom and 15 meeting rooms, eight with outdoor patios.
Millennial draws include the 10,000-square-foot, award-winning spa and Olympic-size pool with 12 amenity-rich cabanas. Six performance venues, including the 900-seat Infinity Showroom and 2,037-seat Pala Events Center, stage diverse entertainment such as Infinity’s free tribute concert series on Saturdays. Eleven dining concepts include Cave, combining a well-stocked underground wine cave with a restaurant and lounge, and the Luis Rey’s patio bar, featuring live entertainment and scenic views of the surrounding Palomar Mountains.
Slated to open in early 2017, River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa will become the ninth state property of Oklahoma’s Muscogee (Creek) Nation tribe. The tropical-themed destination resort will feature an upscale 27-story, 483-room hotel; a 30,000-square-foot convention center; the 2,500-seat Paradise Cove Theater; a resort pool and bar area; and the Margaritaville Casino and Margaritaville Restaurant, which are already open.
In Michigan, a top 10 tribal casino state, Millennials will find Vegas-style action at the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi-owned Firekeepers Hotel Casino in Battle Creek. The 243-room, AAA Four Diamond property flexibly hosts up to 2,000 delegates in nine meeting rooms totaling 20,600 square feet, with the 2,000-seat Event Center available for meetings when not rocking out with headline entertainment.
Also in the top 10, Connecticut is home to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun.
“At Foxwoods, we thrive on collaboration with our guests,” said Jason Guyot, vice president of resort operations and development for Foxwoods. “From uniquely flexible room sets to industry-leading productions that go beyond the ‘traditional’ meeting through state-of-the-art technology, our design goal is to encourage and foster engagement for meeting participants,” Guyot said. “The Millennial generation seeks to make a difference, so we also offer effective teambuilding events that allow groups to give back. These, coupled with our vast array of venues and activities, foster plenty of options for attendees looking to connect and share.”
With 2,230 rooms and 150,000 square feet of flexible conference space, Foxwoods features top DJs and celebrity hosts at its globally recognized, Vegas-style Shrine Nightclub, complemented by the hip new Centrale Fox Tower bar, where entertainers include “America’s Hottest Party Band,” the all-female Almost Angels. Other lures include Mario Barth’s King Ink tattoo studio; High Rollers Luxury Lanes & Lounge, featuring 20 bowling lanes and 60 high-definition TVs; and scheduled for late 2016, a new outdoor zipline experience. During the summer, the property’s Liquid Sundays is the only outdoor Vegas-style pool party in the Northeast.
Offering 1,200 rooms and 100,000-plus square feet of space, including one of the largest ballrooms in the Northeast, Mohegan Sun celebrates its 20th anniversary this month with an entertainment extravaganza including Bruno Mars, KISS and Celtics pre-season basketball in its 10,000-seat Arena. Other Millennial draws include the 350-seat Wolf Den, Vista lounge, the trendy new Avalon nightclub and “Sun” events such as the New England Food Truck Festival, Brewfest, Wine & Food Fest and BBQ Fest.
Also managing Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, Mohegan Sun has a footprint in Pennsylvania’s growing gaming market with Mohegan Sun Pocono, offering “400 acres of unlimited possibilities,” including 238 guest rooms, a 20,000-square-foot convention center, a 16,000-square-foot ballroom, 21 shops, restaurants and bars, and outdoor summertime entertainment at Party on the Patio.
