World Casino And Resort Oklahoma

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There are only two casinos in the world with over 500,000 square feet of gaming space, the Venetian Macau in China, and the WinStar World Casino in Oklahoma. Three of the world’s five biggest casinos are U.S. Based Indian casinos in fact, WinStar, Foxwoods, and Mohegan Sun, so these are major players on the world casino scene for sure.

To get an idea of how big Indian casinos are in the United States, one need look no further than the WinStar World Casino, in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

  1. You name it, you can find it at one of WinStar World Casino and Resort’s lavish entertainment venues. From posh and intimate settings like The Rotunda Bar and the massive Global Event Center, you’ll find something for every taste.
  2. The Winstar World Casino & Resort is located at Thackerville, in Oklahoma. The casino has a total of The Winstar World Casino & Resort is located at Thackerville, in Oklahoma. The casino has a total of over 8,500 slot machines and 100 table games such as 3-Card Poker, Blackjack, EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Poker game, Ultimate Texas Hold'em.

Thackerville itself isn’t very impressive, there’s less than 500 people that live here, but it happens to have a casino in its midst, and not just any casino either.

The casino used to be called the WinStar Casino, but a recent expansion had them changing the name of it to WinStar World Casino. The addition of world in the name isn’t pretentious at all though.

There are only two casinos in the world with over 500,000 square feet of gaming space, the Venetian Macau in China, and the WinStar World Casino in Oklahoma. Three of the world’s five biggest casinos are U.S. based Indian casinos in fact, WinStar, Foxwoods, and Mohegan Sun, so these are major players on the world casino scene for sure.

For years, the American land based casino industry was segregated in just two locations, Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and governments had been reluctant to permit casinos in other areas of the country. Once Indian tribes had their sovereignty recognized to allow them to build casinos on their land, they stepped in and expanded the casino market in the country, and some of them have been wildly successful.

The WinStar World Casino is now bigger than anything they have in Vegas, it’s actually bigger than the 3 biggest casinos in Vegas, combined, to give you an idea of the scale here. Of course, there are a lot of casinos in Las Vegas and the total gaming space there is many times what the WinStar boasts, but this little town of 445 people in Oklahoma is now solidly on the map.

Bigger may not necessarily mean better, but when you look at how many people visit this quite isolated casino, you know that they must have something going for them. They are in a pretty good location actually, on the border between Oklahoma and Texas, only about an hour away from the 6.5 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and two hours away from Oklahoma City’s 1.3 million people.

Oklahoma

There are other casinos in Texas and Oklahoma, but none of a scale that even comes close to the WinStar. The Winstar World Casino is a true destination as well, a place to spend your vacation at, and for a lot of people, one that is within easy driving distance as well.

The WinStar World Casino Property

The Winstar Oklahoma is a sprawling property that first opened up in 2004, run by the Chickasaw Indian Nation of Oklahoma. The casino was expanded significantly in 2009, and in 2013-2014, they added a further 1000 hotel rooms, bringing their total up to 1495 rooms, including 100 in an off site location.

They also feature a 3,500 seat Global Event Center, which brings in many top entertainment acts, and they also have other popular amenities and features that guests expect a large casino complex to have.

They have added the word Resort to the title of the place recently and this can indeed be considered to be a resort, especially considering the sheer size of their hotel accommodations. They also get a lot of day visitors as well though, especially from the Dallas area, so this is a great place not only to stay but to just visit for the day and pack in some great casino action.

There are three different hotel towers here, in addition to The Inn at Winstar, located nearby, with 100 additional rooms, and a free 24 hour shuttle service to the main property.

While the accommodations are on the more modest side compared with some other big and more glitzy casinos, this is a new and very up to date facility that provides a comfortable stay for its many guests.

There are two pools here to be enjoyed, for those who want to get a break from the casino action and spend a little time outdoors. There are two spas as well in addition to a fitness center to take care of your physical well being. There’s also a 27 hole golf course for your further enjoyment. You’ll also find several shops to check out as well.

There are plenty of good dining options here, including 3 upscale restaurants, 8 casual dining spots, and 6 places to get a quick bite. The WinStar also has 4 bars and lounges, a night club, the large Global Event Center, and even an outdoor arena which operates during the summer.

The Casino At WinStar Oklahoma

So there’s lots to do at this resort besides gamble in the casino, but the casino is the main attraction of course. It all starts with their electronic games, and there are over 7,400 of them spread across 8 gaming plazas.

Stakes run from one cent all the way up to $25, to suit every gambling budget. No other casino in the world has this many gaming machines, and this is a slot player’s dream come true, or as close to it as you can possibly get.

They also have a special room called Casino 360 which takes the light and sound experience of playing electronic casino games to a whole new level. You can even get your favorite sporting events streamed live to your gaming machine so you can both play and watch sports at the same time.

They also have 98 table games to enjoy here, including Blackjack, Double Deck Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, EZ Baccarat, Midi Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Ultimate Texas Holdem, 3 Card Poker, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, and Royal Match 21.

The poker room here is a large and very impressive one, with 46 poker tables and 19,000 square feet of space. WinStar takes their poker seriously and you’ll find all the action you can handle right here. There’s a restaurant right in the poker room to take care of your dining needs as well.

WinStar tops things off with bingo, keno, and off track betting, ensuring that all your gambling needs are well taken care of. This is an impressive property indeed and well worth a visit to, especially if you want to see what a world class casino really looks like.

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WinStar World Casino and Resort
Address 777 Casino Avenue, Thackerville, OK 73459
Opening date2003
ThemeNative American
No. of rooms1395 on main casino complex (395 in Resort Tower, 500 in Pool Tower North, 500 in Pool Tower South)
100 rooms in The Inn at Winstar (offsite property)
Total: 1495
Total gaming space370,000 sq ft (34,000 m2)
Notable restaurantsPanda Express, Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, 'Vinos' Italian Eatery', Palladium Sports Lounge,Gran Via Buffet, Kirby's Steakhouse & Mickey Mantle's, Red River Grill, El Fenix, NYC Burgers & Dogs, IHOP Express, Matador's Pizzeria,Khan's Fire Mongolian Grill, Chips 'N Ales, Terrace View Cafe, Capisce Ristorante Italiano, Le Paris Bakery and Cafe, 'Dairy Queen', 'Orange Julius'.[1]
Casino typeLand-based
OwnerThe Chickasaw Nation
Previous namesWinStar World Casino and Resort
Renovated in2009–current
Coordinates33°45′28.74″N97°7′55.22″W / 33.7579833°N 97.1320056°WCoordinates: 33°45′28.74″N97°7′55.22″W / 33.7579833°N 97.1320056°W
Websitewww.winstar.com

WinStar World Casino and Resort is an American tribal casino and hotel located in Thackerville, Oklahoma, near the Oklahoma–Texas state line. It is owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation. The casino opened as the WinStar Casinos in 2004, and was expanded (with a 395-room hotel tower) and renamed WinStar World Casino in 2009; its 370,000 square feet (34,000 m2) of casino floor made it the world's largest casino.[2] In August 2013, WinStar Resorts completed a major expansion project, which added a new 1000-room second hotel tower that was divided into two phases; this also added a new casino that is attached to the tower. As a result of the completion of this expansion, the casino overtook Foxwoods Resort Casino to become the largest casino in the United States and one of the largest in the world based on gaming floor space. WinStar has 8,500 electronic games, a 55-table poker room, 100 total table games, Racer's off-track betting,[3] high limit room, keno, and bingo.[4]

Winstar

Location and history[edit]

WinStar World Casino and Resort is located about 120 miles south from the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and one hour north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and attracts many people from the North Texas region as well as Oklahoma residents. The casino's 3,500 seat Global Event Center has been home to some popular entertainment attractions including Jay Leno, Vince Gill, Adam Lambert, Weezer, Lil Wayne, ZZ Top, Maroon 5, Kid Rock, Tony Bennett, and Davy Jones, who gave his final concert at WinStar on February 19, 2012.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

The casino closed temporarily between March 16 to March 31, 2020 due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic as announced by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby.[22] The casino was closed throughout the remainder of April 2020.[23] The casino reopened on in May 2020, with restrictive guidelines.[24]

Design[edit]

WinStar was conceived by noted designer Larry E. Seitz whose work includes Sands Casinos, Trump Taj Mahal, Grand Casinos in Mississippi, Barona Casino, Buffalo Run, Chisholm Trail, Grand Princess, SS Norway, Casino Panama, Costa Rica Casino, Stellaris Casino Aruba, and the Paradise Island Casino among others. Additionally Hotels created for the brands Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, Marriott, Crown Plaza, Melina, Loews, Holiday, Ramada, InterContinental, and independents worldwide. Restaurants and Clubs have been produced internationally.Special effects, commissioned art, and sculptures were constructed and implemented by Dallas-based ValueWorks and produced by their suppliers in the U.S. and around the world.The exterior of the building was detailed by Lyndon Stromberg, who also worked on The Venetian and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as well as the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas and Planet Hollywood in New York City. The long façade exterior of WinStar World Casino features replicas of London's Parliament Building, Rome's Coliseum and the Arc de Triomphe from Paris.[25]

Hotel information[edit]

WinStar World Casino and Resort is home to the 12-story, 395-room WinStar World Casino Hotel that is adjacent to the gaming floor. On August 6, 2009, the 395-room hotel tower held a grand opening celebration that featured performances by American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Meeting rooms that have varied capacities of 10-200 people, a resort-style pool with a custom-built waterfall grotto, the Spa Habitat, and the Cloverleaf Boutique gift shop also opened on this date. WinStar World Casino and Resort also offers a variety of restaurants, many of which are open until late night hours, including Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill.[26] The second hotel tower, the Pool Tower North, opened in August 2013, while the third hotel tower, the Pool Tower South, opened in early 2014. Both towers have a capacity of 500 rooms each and are adjacent to each other. The Inn at WinStar has 101 rooms, and is accessed from the casino and the RV park by a 24-hour shuttle service. There are around 100 table games at the WinStar World Casino. Table games include blackjack, Mississippi stud, midi baccarat, poker, ultimate Texas hold'em etc. The 19000 sq ft poker room has 55 poker tables. There is a restaurant Red River Grill inside the poker room.[27]

Offsite areas[edit]

WinStar Golf Club[edit]

The WinStar Golf Club features two 18-hole golf courses designed by former PGA Tour Pro, D.A. Weibring which holds golf tournaments each year. In addition, the WinStar Golf Academy, a 4,850-square-foot (451 m2) facility, offers private golf lessons.[28]

WinStar RV Park[edit]

WinStar RV park is a 200-space RV Park that is available to people visiting the casino. A shuttle service to the casino is available to guests in the RV Park.

Bull riding[edit]

In 2011, the Professional Bull Riders brought their Built Ford Tough Seriesbull riding tour to the WinStar World Casino with an event at an outdoor arena constructed near the casino itself. The event was sponsored by WinStar World Casino and was held annually from 2011 to 2017 under the name 'WinStar World Casino Invitational'. The 2011 event was the first outdoor event on the BFTS since 2005.

References[edit]

World Casino And Resort Oklahoma
  1. ^[1]Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^Lassek, P.J., 'What were the odds?', Oklahoma Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff, p 30
  3. ^'Casino City: WinStar World Casino'. Oklahoma.casinocity.com.
  4. ^'Eyes on Texas and Oklahoma: WinStar World Casino'. Durangotexas.com.
  5. ^'Davy Jones gives final interview to a Texoma radio personality'. Kxii.com. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  6. ^'WinStar World Casino Global Event Center in Thackerville, OK Convention / Conference Center 73459 - Dallas Morning News'. Listings.dallasnews.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  7. ^'The Official Site of the Chickasaw Nation WinStar World Casino and Resort opens new hotel tower, other expansion projects'. Chickasaw.net. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  8. ^'WinStar Global Event Center Oklahoma'. ChickasawCountry.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  9. ^'Rainmaker Implements GuestREV Revenue Management System at Chickasaw Nation Properties in Oklahoma'. Letitrain.com. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  10. ^'WinStar World Casino and Resort Opens new Hotel Tower, Other Expansion Projects - WFLA News Channel 8'. Wfla.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  11. ^GENE TRIPLETT (2011-10-07). 'Weezer will play casino date in Thackerville'. News OK. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  12. ^'Bellator MMA & WinStar World Casino Announce 2013 Event Partnership - Bellator MMA'. Bellator.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  13. ^@MMAjunkie (2012-12-18). 'Bellator plans three events for Oklahoma's WinStar World Casino in 2013'. MMAjunkie. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  14. ^'Area Attractions Fort Worth Chamber Chamber of Commerce'. Fort Worth Chamber. 2000-04-22. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  15. ^'Oklahoma: Casino resorts prove good gamble'. Smallmarketmeetings.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  16. ^'Casino resorts are on an expansion roll throughout the South'. Meetingsfocus.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  17. ^'Academy of Country Music :: Nominees'. Acmcountry.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  18. ^'World's Fifth Largest Casino, WinStar World, Opens New Hotel'. Prweb.com. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  19. ^'WinStar World Casino and Resort : Entertainment'. Winstarworldcasino.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  20. ^'WinStar Casino opens new hotel'. 500nations.com. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  21. ^'Winstar World Opens New Hotel, and Remodels Gaming Plaza'. Prweb.com. 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  22. ^'WinStar, Choctaw Close Casinos to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus'. KXAS-TV. March 16, 2020.
  23. ^Butcher, K. (April 10, 2020). 'Chickasaw Nation casinos, offices to remain closed due to COVID-19 pandemic'. KFOR-TV.
  24. ^https://www.winstar.com/reopening/
  25. ^'Stromberg Architectural Project Profile: WinStar World Casino'. Strombergarchitectural.com.
  26. ^'TripAdvisor:WinStar World Casino Hotel, Thackerville'. Tripadvisor.com.
  27. ^'Some of the Biggest Casinos in America - Refund Management Services'. Refundmanagement.com. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  28. ^'Facilities - Winstar Golf Club'. Winstar.rexacademies.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.

External links[edit]

Winstar World Casino And Resort Oklahoma Pictures

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