"Officials of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma have unveiled plans for a stunning $200 million resort casino, complete with a high-rise hotel, restaurants, shopping centers and an entertainment venue.

When the casino complex opens on July 4, 2008, it will have 1,200 full-time employees, a base payroll of $35 million and employment benefits of $9 million, and will attract 2 million visitors annually, according to the tribe. Purchases of goods and services will add $30 million or so to the region’s economy. The 14-story luxury hotel will be visible for three miles in each direction from the interstate.

The whole concept is mind-boggling. And exciting.

As John Berrey, chairman of the tribe, said in announcing the project: “Our resort will be unlike anything in the region. It will be a destination resort that attracts tourist dollars from outside of the region. We are extremely excited about bringing a resort of this quality and scale to the Tri-State Region, and we think everyone else will be pleased with it, too. We look forward to being a good corporate citizen in the surrounding communities and making this a tourism success story for the entire region.”

Joplin and its environs will reap the benefits of what amounts to a huge, new industry in its back yard. But so, too, will Galena and Baxter Springs in Kansas as well Miami, Okla., and surrounding communities."

Get the Story:
In our view: Tourism success story (The Joplin Globe 5/18)