The Saint Regis Mohawk Triberecently held an open house for anew $2.6 million building to houseits Planning & Infrastructure Division in Akwesasne, NY.

The 11,600 sq. ft. building pro-vides modern, safe and healthywork space for construction staffand includes five large garage bays,eight work stations, a conferenceroom and two locker rooms. Itwas designed in accordance withNYS’s Energy Conservation Con-struction Code and includes high-efficiency lighting and sensors, a radiant floor heating systemand roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels, as well as two distinct areas separated by a fire-rated wall.

Planning & Infrastructure Director Ernie Thompson hadthe honor of cutting the ribbon for community members to viewthe new facility.

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Celebrates New $2.6 Million Planning & Infrastructure Building

62 Indian Gaming September 2017

OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS

The Kalispel Tribe turned over the first shovels of dirtrecently, signaling the beginning of construction on a new $20 million expansion of Northern Quest Resort & Casino andits surrounding property. The 40,000 sq. ft. resort expansionincludes Kids Quest and Cyber Quest, a day care/entertainmentcenter and family-friendly arcade, additions to the food courtand Windfall, a new retail store featuring a variety of outdoorrecreational items, home and sporting goods and more.

In addition to the groundbreaking of the Northern Questexpansion and previously announced high-end RV Resort,this announcement highlights the addition of a new movie and dinner theater as well as a multi-family apartment community.All new businesses are scheduled to be open in 2018.

“It’s an exciting day for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and for our guests and team members,” says Tribal Chairman Glen Nenema. “Our vision has long included a focus onhealthy and safe communities. Part of that mission includes

providing quality family-friendly entertainmentthrough our businesses. Today we’re one step closerto seeing that dream come true.”

The initial part of Phase I construction willbring up to 100 new permanent jobs to our community, along with several businesses that areunique to the market, including M&D (Movie &Dinner). Spokane area movie-goers will be buzzingabout a modern theater where they can catch thelatest new release movies and have dinner deliveredstraight to their comfortable reserved seat. M&D’ssignature restaurant, bar and lounge will be opento non-movie goers as well, featuring a great variety of simple foods with bold flavors, desserts,cocktails and coffees.

While the new multi-family apartment community doesn’thave an official name yet, it will bring high-quality, market-rateapartments to the West Plains. Crews are expected to breakground on the new 216-unit community in Fall 2017, withapartment leasing scheduled to begin later in 2018. Renters inthis apartment community can look forward to living in theheart of a growing and thriving entertainment, resort andretail destination.

“For more than ten years we’ve been working on a masterdevelopment plan for the area surrounding Northern Quest,”says Kalispel Tribal Economic Authority Chief OperatingOfficer Phil Haugen. “Bringing in unique businesses likeM&D and Kids Quest to our community is a large part of our overall diversification strategy. Whether you’re a gamer,looking for a fantastic live music or dining experience, or youwant a night out – with or without the kids – we’ll have youcovered at Northern Quest.”

Kalispel Tribe Breaks Ground on $20 Million Expansion Project – Announces New Movie & Dinner Theater and Apartment Community

L-R: Executive Director Tsiorasa Barreiro; Capital Projects Manager Colleen Thomas; Construction Manager BrentHerne; Bureau of Indian Affair's Transportation Chief Leroy Gishi; USDA Acting-State Director Scott Collins; TisdelAssociates Principal Engineer Aaron Jarvis; P&I Director Thompson; Water Plant Manager Shawn Martin; ChiefBeverly Cook; Chief Eric Thompson; Sub-Chief Agnes Jacobs; Sub-Chief Shelley Jacobs; and Chief Michael Conners.

September 2017 Indian Gaming 63

Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotelrecently broke ground on its first expansion: the new UltraStar Multi-tainment center at Harrah'sCherokee Valley River.

The 38,000 sq. ft. addition will bring a bowlingcenter with 16 lanes and a 2,200 sq. ft. arcade to theMurphy, NC area for family-friendly activities. On the opposite side, the addition will also housethe casino's first full-service restaurant, with a nearly260-seat capacity. Two bars will be included in thenew construction, one to service the bowling center, the other near the restaurant to service bothwaiting restaurant guests and gaming participants.There will also be 16 new Tesla charging stationsadded to parking lot for guest use.

Harrah's Cherokee Valley River General Manager Lumpy Lambert opened as first guestspeaker and was excited to get the project rolling. "We're trulyexcited to continue and expand the Harrah's Cherokee relation-ship with UltraStar Entertainment. It seems like only yester-day we opened Valley River and already we're expanding!"

Robins & Morton of Birmingham, AL, will serve as the general contractor and Brunswick Bowling Products of

Muskegon, MI, will serve as the construction manager. Paradigm Design, Inc., of Grand Rapids, MI, will providedesign and architecture services for the project. The facility isslated for completion in summer 2018.

It will be the second UltraStar facility at Harrah's CherokeeCasinos, after the expected completion of the first Multi-tainment Center in Cherokee, NC this fall.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel Breaks Ground on UltraStar Multi-tainment Center

L-R: UltraStar Entertainment COO Adam Saks, Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Board of AdvisorsChairman Jim Owle, Principle Chief Richard Sneed, Birdtown Tribal Councilman Travis Smith.

The largest collection in the world of one of gaming’s mostpopular titles is open at WinStar World Casino and Resort inOklahoma. The Lightning Link™ Lounge powered by Casino360˚ features over 150 Lightning Link units across almost4,000 sq. ft. in the London Gaming Plaza of one of the world’slargest casinos.

Jenny Cross said the overhaul of the existing Casino 360˚area was a collaborative effort between the casino and Gaming Capital Group – a long-standing partner of the casino.

“Since its opening, Casino 360˚ had grown to be a populararea in the casino with its vibrant lighting and immersiveexperience,” said Jenny Cross, WinStar’s Assistant General Manager. “We wanted to continue the momentum of this particular gaming area. The opportunity to reinvent the space

into the Lightning Link Lounge powered by Casino 360˚ wasa way for us to continue our partnership with GCG andenabled us to continue creating that unique patron experiencefor which we are known.”

Melissa Cox, Gaming Capital Group’s VP of Marketing andCustomer Relations, said the performance of Lightning Link games at WinStar as well as in other markets made theproject a natural fit for the state’s largest gaming facility.

“Our partnerships with both Winstar and Aristocrat are veryimportant to our operation. At GCG, it’s our mission to placethe best product for our customers and we are very fortunateto have a product like Lightning Link to offer,” said Cox. “Weare confident the Lightning Link Lounge will perform well andour team is very excited to see more themes like Lightning Linkfrom Aristocrat.”

Aristocrat’s Lightning Link gaming machines have strucka chord with players around the world, continuing to grow inpopularity since the product’s launch in 2015 and garnering multiple industry awards.

With this addition, WinStar will be the only casino inOklahoma to offer an extensive collection of the Lightning Linkgames with 151 machines in the new lounge, along with theother 50 that will remain on the casino’s main gaming floor.The games will continue to keep players engaged with freegames, Hold & Spin bonuses, and a single bonus spin that couldaward multiple progressives and bonus values.

Lightning Link™ Lounge Powered by Casino 360˚Opens at WinStar World Casino and Resort

64 Indian Gaming September 2017

OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS

The Poker Room at Pechanga Resort & Casino just got evenbetter. The all-new off-track-betting facility, Pechanga Poker& Ponies, is now open inside of the existing Poker Room.Pechanga recently held a Grand Opening one day before theanticipated Pacific Classic at nearby Del Mar racetrack.Pechanga Resort & Casino management and elected Pechangatribal officials thanked the crowd gathered, and then cut thered ribbon to the state-of-the-art, 72-space facility.

The first 300 guests to come in and place bets that dayreceived a free commemorative pint glass and enjoyed wineand beer specials. The off track betting facility offers 22 largeflat screen TVs and individual seating screens. Races fromacross the U.S. and Australia are shown for guests’ wagering.

Open seven days a week, Poker & Ponies a full food menuand bar.

“Our goal is giving our guests more of what they wantwhen they come here,” said Michael May, Vice President ofTable Games at Pechanga Resort & Casino. “We understandand listen to our guests. We know there are many who play tablegames and slots who also enjoy watching or going to the races.Pechanga proves the perfect place for them to receive resortluxury and an array of their favorite casino games in one spot.”

The new facility is open for guests 21 and older. Pechangaadds the off track betting area to provide more all-inclusiveresort amenities for its guests while other casino/resorts are scaling back or jettisoning satellite betting to make room foradditional slot machines.

Voted the Best Poker Room in the Inland Empire, by pairing the world-class Pechanga Poker Room featuring awide variety of high-stakes games and live horse racing action,guests can easily cross over from poker to OTB and backagain. An elegant glass wall partition separates Pechanga’snew off track betting from the non-smoking Pechanga Pokerroom with an opening on the right side.

Guests can look out for enticing events, promotions and specials tied to national and international racing days inside thenew Off Track Betting facility and Pechanga Poker Room.

The Pechanga Poker Room is located on the second levelabove the Round Bar. Pechanga Poker provides 40 tables,dozens of flat screen TVs, tableside food and beverage, a fullbar and a non-smoking environment.

Pechanga Poker & Ponies Officially Takes Off with Grand Opening Event

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe recentlyheld a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansionof Saganing Eagles Landing Casino in Standish, MI.The planned expansion includes the addition of a new five story hotel with 148 guest rooms and a hospitality suite, a full-service restaurant, additional square footage for retail space and anincreased gaming floor with accommodations forup to 400 additional slot machines.

During the event, the planning and vision of theproject was presented, with updates on phase oneof construction from the general contractor, Spence Brothers. JCJ Architecture and Rowe Engineering were also on-site to provide insight andrenderings of the project. The estimated comple-tion timeline for the expansion is approximately 18 months witha grand opening slated for early 2019.

Chief Frank Cloutier said, “This expansion further solidifies our presence in our aboriginal territory and shows ourcommitment to the community and economic growth for theregion. I am very proud of our abilities and our staff for all they

do to make the Saganing Eagles Landing one of the most preferred places to visit. Chi Miigwetch (thank you) to all of our patrons for your visits and soon to be your play and stayexperience. There are so many possibilities for a brighterfuture and with continued collaboration we look forward toenjoying them together.”

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Saganing Eagles Landing Casino Expansion

The Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort’s appointed CEO, RayBrenny, successfully gained momentum for the proposed renovation for Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. In a vote of 11-0, Tribal Council of The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribeof Michigan recently approved the motion for funding thecasino and entertainment hall renovation project.

Brenny said, “When I was hired nine months ago, I promised to provide a superior focus on improvement.Among the top priorities was to connect with I-5 DesignCompany, to do an assessment and to present some designideas that would improve our guests’ experience.”

The $26.5 million dollar project is expected to commenceby fall of 2017 and complete by spring of 2018. The multi-million dollar investment is concentrated on amenities of thecasino such as incorporating a brand new Sports Bar &Night Club near the gaming floor, updating the Entertain-ment Hall, enclosing the non-smoking area, re-designingKid’s Quest & Cyber Quest areas, enhanced gaming experiences with a new high limit & VIP lounge area, a relocated poker room and then finalizing the renovationproject with a re-branding of the current sub shop. The preliminary schedule is split into a seven phase constructionplan.The first phase involves updating the EntertainmentHall. High-tech programmable lighting elements across theceiling will accommodate a wide variety of events. There willbe upgrades to the acoustics by integrating sound isolationpanels around the perimeter from floor to ceiling. The stagewill also feature an array of multi-media panels which can produce an unlimited number of scenes.

The second phase entails the development of the new VIPlounge, and relocating the high limit gaming. The currentpoker room will be temporarily moved to the Slot Palace during this phase. This repositioning of the high limit areawill transform the existing poker room into a luxury gamingspace with a full amenity of an integrated VIP lounge to alsoinclude casino hosts’ offices.

The far back-end of the gaming floor will go through multiple modifications. For phases three, four and five therewill be three various amenities constructed. The spaces will

include an enclosed poker room, an enclosed non-smokinggaming area and a sports bar & night club.

A complete transformation of the current non-smokingarea into a sports bar & night club will have a grand entrywith twelve-foot tall pivoting doors. It will feature a wingshaped center bar, a stage for entertainers, a VIP seating area,59 bar-top slot machines, multiple television screens and dramatic lighting effects. Neighboring each side of the sportsbar & night club will be the relocated poker room and thenewly enclosed non-smoking area.

Phase six is projected to include a remodel of the Kid’sQuest / Cyber Quest, The Cyber Quest and Kids Questareas will have a centralized entry way with Cyber QuestArcade to the front which allows guests to walk through the space to access Kid’s Quest on the back half of the re-design.

The final phase involves the re-branding of the subshop. The new design plan builds around the existing layout and flow, with additional seating and an improvedentry area.

This major renovation project will be one of the largestinvestments that Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort’s guests have seen since the grand opening in 1998. The last major renovation was in 2011 when the Firefly Buffet was re-branded to Aurora Buffet and remodeled to provide spacefor the 24 hour Legends Diner. ®

September 2017 Indian Gaming 65

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort’s $26.5 Million Expansion Plans Announced