News On 6 Gets Look Inside River Spirit Casino Expansion

The first phase of a more than $300 million expansion project to River Spirit Casino will open in August, and it’s being compared to a resort in Las Vegas.

A Casino, restaurant, bar, retail, a tropical-themed pool deck and a convention center are all part of the 1.2 million square feet of new construction along the Arkansas River.

River Spirit Casino CEO Pat Crofts said, "You can literally pick this project up and put it anywhere in the world and it will compete."

And you can't help but miss the 27-floor hotel tower going up. There are more than 20 rooms on each floor and each one has a spectacular view of the river.

There are close to 500 rooms in total, and there will be a spa on the bottom floor.

"With the addition of the hotel, it is going to drive a lot of the out of town folks, and with Margaritaville brand, in general, just kind of is a total game changer for the property," said project manager, Ryan Haynie.

With hundreds of markers along the floor where games will be laid out, you can start to visualize what the 50,000 square foot casino will look like.

Daily, 800 workers are on the site - after all, it isn't easy to build an erupting volcano, seaplane, and a stage for live music, all on two levels of the Margaritaville Restaurant and Bar.

Haynie said, "As a Tulsan, it’s great to see development along the river, and just development in general and all the new things to do and see. There’s a lot of excitement building, and all the workers are enjoying participating in it, and it’s been really great all the way around."

The estimated impact on the region is more than $135 million a year.