Chickasaw Nation Proposes a Casino Resort Near Lake Texoma

The Chickasaw Nation is planning to revive the former state waterfront property near Lake Texoma in Oklahoma as a tourist destination. Texoma Development Holdings LLC, an affiliate company owned by the tribe purchased the property from the state earlier this week along with the surrounding land and paid a total of $4.2 million.

The tribe intends to use the land which was earlier home to the state run Lake Texoma Lodge and Resort and plans to develop a new property with hotel and casino facilities.

The purchase deal includes 50 acres of lakefront land near Lake Texoma and the historically significant Roosevelt Bridge. Additionally, the deal includes around 11.5 acres of land that had been bought by the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office from the state’s tourism department.

In a statement Gov. Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Tribe said

We believe this project will help launch a transformation of this area into a major tourism and recreation attraction. We look forward to working with the state on a project we expect to have a positive impact on jobs and our economy for decades to come

According to current plans, the tribe will build a hotel and a casino with close to 300 electronic game terminals along with lakefront cottages for those looking for fishing and boating. Other amenities include a restaurant, a gift store, an outdoor pool, fitness center, a lounge, and a business center as well as meeting rooms.

The nearest town is Kingston, which is an hour’s drive from major cities like Dallas, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Art Hackler, member of the Kingston Town Council said that he hopes that the new project will bring jobs and increase tourism in the area. The tribe’s interest in the property has been long known and Hackler said that the town had upgraded its sewer system with an investment of $400,000 in anticipation of the new casino development.

Bill Lance, secretary of commerce for the Chickasaw Nation said that the first step of the process would be to apply to the federal government for placing the land bought into a trust, a process that may take up to months. The project was made possible after a settlement for the land was reached by Oklahoma’s Commissioners of the Land Office with the erstwhile owner Pointe Vista Development LLC who had failed to develop a new resort on it as per its agreement with the city. The city purchased the land $4 million earlier this year as a part of the settlement.