As I look to 2024, I feel a sense of excitement and optimism in the air as we approach the New Year and all it will bring. Our industry is always leading innovation, whether in technology, how we work, how we play or even how we dine. Just take a quick look across Indian Country and you’ll see for yourself.
Tribal Gaming is poised for great things, and has continued to achieve great things, thanks to the exceptional, visionary leadership and hard work of so many. Across the country innovation and expansion is happening everywhere you turn. We see it in Nebraska, with the ongoing expansion of the Lincoln WarHorse Casino. We see it in Oklahoma, as Osage Casinos open the doors to a new casino in Bartlesville. We see it in Virginia, as the Pamunkey Indian Tribe moves forward with its half-billion dollar casino project.
Expansion into new properties is just one of the ways Tribal gaming is reaching new heights. Technological innovation, always a hallmark of our industry, continues to allow us to do things we could have never even imagined in 1998, when IGRA was enacted. Today, virtual reality is used in training new personnel at Arizona’s Gila River Resorts & Casinos.
As we continue to adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers, exciting culinary destinations have become a key component to many casino resorts. California’s Yaamava’ Resort & Casino’s recent launch of its spectacular restaurant, The Pines Modern Steakhouse is a brilliant example. Whether you prefer 50-year-old Glenfiddich and Waygu beef or impeccable seafood and a well-curated wine selection, restaurants like The Pines are the wave of the future.
All of this growth and innovation leads to jobs for thousands of people and benefits to every community a Tribal Gaming venue calls home. We see it in big ways, and subtle ways. From infrastructure construction to sponsoring Little League teams, Tribal Gaming is the industry always at the forefront.
I can’t wait to see what we do next.
