Santee Sioux Tribe works for a better future with $20M casino

Monday, February 18, 2013  

The Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska hopes its new $20 million gaming facility will pave the way for a better future on the reservation.

The tribe first opened the Ohiya Casino in 1995. Only nine people were employed at the small facility.

The 61,000 square-foot casino now provides jobs for nearly 90 people. Many worked long hours as the tribe prepared to open the new facility.

“There’s workers who don’t want to go home,” general manager Thelma Thomas told The Norfolk Daily News. “They like it that much.”

The tribe battled federal prosecutors for years in order to offer Class II electronic games The state refuses to negotiate a Class III gaming compact.

Get the Story:
Casino, resort offer tribe best bet yet for independence (The Norfolk Daily News 2/16)
A New Day For Santee (The Yankton Press & Dakotan 2/16)
Try Your Luck at Ohiya Casino Resort (KMEG-TV 2/15)

Santee Sioux Tribe celebrates grand opening of gaming facility (2/15)