A message board in the construction trailer complex at the Saracen Casino Resort job site proclaims the countdown: 159 days till substantial completion.
To get the first phase of the $350 million Pine Bluff development open as soon as possible, crews are racing the clock on a work schedule that is essentially 24/7.
By contract, June 26 is the opening date circled to let the card dealing, dice tumbling and roulette wheel spinning begin at Saracen. But John Berrey, chairman of the Quapaw Nation, is betting the casino will be ready for play even sooner.
“My goal is sometime in May to have a soft opening,” Berrey said.
In addition to 2,000 slot machines, the casino will have room to accommodate 50 table games. But Berrey expects to start with a mix of 30 or so blackjack, poker, craps and roulette games.
The 80,000-SF casino will be ringed by seven restaurants, including versions of the Legends sports bar and Red Oak Steakhouse at the tribe’s Downstream Casino Resort in Oklahoma.
Also on the Saracen dining menu will be a buffet, three fast-casual restaurants and a coffee shop serving up pastries and gelato. The tribe is developing local options for produce, catfish and more. (For casino food strategies, see Casinos Use Dining to Build Loyalty, Brand.)
The Quapaws’ fun-atmosphere-plus-good-food recipe for success will serve up bacon-wrapped bison tenderloin at the Red Oak and signature blends of roasted coffee.
Completion of the casino will be celebrated with the first of two grand openings. A second will follow next year when the 300-room, 13-story hotel tower and adjoining events center are completed.
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