The Cherokee Nation revealed on Wednesday that it is to break ground on its newest casino this spring. Cherokee Nation Entertainment, the Oklahoma-based tribe’s gambling arm, will build a gambling venue in the city of Grove and it will be its tenth such facility and the second one in Delaware County.
Cherokee Casino Grove will occupy a 39,000-square-foot site and will feature 400 electronic games, food and beverage options, a dance floor, a live music venue, and a number of other entertainment options. Renderings of the facility are expected to be released upon groundbreaking.
Commenting on the latest announcement, Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, said that they run gambling facilities with the intention to create jobs for tribal members and residents of the host municipalities, “build local economies,” and provide finances for a number of important services to the Cherokee people.
When asked about Cherokee Casino Grove, Shawn Slaton, CEO of Cherokee Nation Entertainment’s parent company Cherokee Nation Business, commented that they have long be leaders in the provision of the best possible entertainment in the region and the new gambling venue will, too, provide guests with “superior experience in a safe environment.”
Mr. Slaton added that they are looking forward to working with Delaware County and Grove’s residents. The executive also pointed out that their business model has proven to be good for local economies and that the tribe has managed to develop beneficial relationships with host communities.
Currently, Cherokee Nation Entertainment employs about 4,000 people at its casinos around Oklahoma, with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa and Cherokee Casino West Siloam Springs being among those. And more than 175 people are expected to be hired, once the new property in Grove is fully operational.
According to the latest information, construction work on the new facility is slated to start in April. Cherokee Casino Grove will be located on a 24-acre site not far from East 250 Road and Highway 59. The tribe purchased the portion of land in two transactions back in August 2013, paying a total of $800,000 for it. Cherokee Nation Entertainment has not revealed yet how much will be invested in the establishment of the gambling hall. No completion date has been announced as well.
