Creek Nation breaks ground on a new Tulsa casino

The Creek Nation is upping the casino stakes in Tulsa with a huge new gaming palace in the works. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Steve Berg says the Creeks say this will be the biggest casino in the state.

Tuesday, November 8th 2005, 11:13 am

By: News On 6

The Creek Nation is upping the casino stakes in Tulsa with a huge new gaming palace in the works.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg says the Creeks say this will be the biggest casino in the state. They also hope it will be the prettiest, as they take advantage of the natural setting along the banks of the Arkansas River.

The groundbreaking was held Tuesday near the banks of the river. The setting has proved to be challenging for the architects, being a floodplain. The tribe says that caused some delays, but of course the problems are offset by the excitement about river development.

The Creek Nation has also bought land on the "other" side of the river. And there are plans for a water taxi to connect the casino with other development, including the Riverwalk Crossing in Jenks. Creek Nation Chief A D Ellis: "This is only the first phase. We have three phases. The second phase will probably be a hotel, a theater, upscale restaurants. The third one may be a Riverwalk and so forth."

Some of the surveying work is already being done. Constructions starts next year and they expect to be done in May of 2007.