RE: Biggest Casinos in World

by , Aug 31, 2009 | 6:54 am

It really is amazing what the people of Texas have built in Oklahoma. Not only is WinStar now the third-largest casino in the world*, but also Choctaw (the “other” casino for Dallas people) is undergoing an expansion that will make it the 17th largest in the world.

* Third is my number, btw, based on Business Week data, despite WinStar’s claim that they are just 5th.

At 110,000 square feet, the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla., will have the same amount of gaming space as Wynn Las Vegas, and slightly more than Wynn Macao.

Check it out:

“Texas hold’em / Ain’t nobody foldin’!” Rockin’!

We all know where that came from, of course:

Ship It!
Texas money headed to Oklahoma

Details on the expansion project (including the number of jobs it will create) here.

The Choctaw poker room will expand from 18 tables to 30, making it the same size as the Mirage and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas (and slightly bigger than the Wynn). Still nowhere close, though, to WinStar’s 46.

Speaking of WinStar — we’ll say it again, the third-friggin-biggest casino in the world! — Pokerhag (“A grandma who plays poker”) has a good, related post about how difficult it is to find a non-Texas license plate in their parking lot, and what that means in terms of jobs and the economy:

http://pokerhag.blogspot.com/2009/07/texas-is-missing-boat-on-legalized.html

WinStar (aka the Chickasaw Nation) meanwhile, is blowing up … in addition to the 18 casinos they already run and the hotels they are opening up, they are looking bail out struggling horse tracks, and even expand into other countries … including, plausibly, Texas. The casino tribe just bought Remington Park (thanks to its bankruptcy) in Oklahoma City … and perhaps just to hedge their bets should Texas lawmakers ever change course, are making a similar play for Lone Star Park, the (beautiful but unprofitable) horse track between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Hmm, not sure how to take that. WinStar didn’t expand their poker room until after our legalize-poker efforts were defeated in 2007 (HB-3186) … and I hear we gave their poker staff a bit of a scare this year when we got even closer (HB-222) — in part with a move that connected Texas-based poker efforts to Lone Star Park. I guess this is their way of saying, hey, not so fast … if you get poker in Texas, it’s gonna be Chickasaw Poker!

OK, sorry for the semi-rambly post, but it just occurs to me, with that bitchin’ vid, that if you look at the biggest casino realms in the world, in 2010 you’ll be talking about, in order:

1. Las Vegas
2. Macau
3. Atlantic City
4. Oklahoma just barely north of the Texas border

BTW, check out just how “into” Texas WinStar really is … you know, peninsula-wise:

(via ThePokerAtlas)


8 Comments to “RE: Biggest Casinos in World”


  1. David Alexander
    says:

    Makes me “Proud to be Chickasaw”
    (and although that because I live in Texas
    I don’t get any benefit of the
    Chickasaw Nation Resources.. still proud

    By the way… another important fact..

    We never lost a war..

    Sadly, we moved on our accord to oklahoma
    in the trail of tears…


  2. dc
    says:

    talk about the middle of nowhere.


  3. Julia
    says:

    Just FYI the new Choctaw Casino will be 300,000 square feet when completed not including the new hotel which will be another 100,000 square feet. A 110,000 square feet is the size of our current casino. The grand opening is scheduled for the second week of February. Thank you.


  4. Ok_observer
    says:

     Man i hate texas, so glad they r just handing stuff over to states that r better than texas, 1 down, 48 more to go…


  5. Scott
    says:

    I guess you reckon soon all will be kowtowing to OK. I’m interested in seeing how Hawaii reacts to your obvious superiority. How long before their submission?


  6. Trigger
    says:

    Hey, Just wanted to update on a old post and let you know that WinStar is now the 2nd largest in the world, and will be THE largest in the world by early next year.


  7. Dan Michalski
    says:

    Sweet! What kind of expansion do they have working to make it the case?
    Or are they planning to go more on the offensive by torching Foxwoods and the other monster gaming floors?


  8. Kathy
    says:

    Does anyone know the length of winstar from hotel to bingo hall????