The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska says they will open a new casino in Carter Lake this fall. Prairie Flower Casino is projected to open in late October. Plans to grow the gaming facility to provide more entertainment, jobs and economic development for the region are in progress.
The name Prairie Flower has a special meaning to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Standing Bear, a former Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Chief, who in 1879 successfully argued in federal court that his people were persons within the meaning of habeas corpus, had a daughter named Prairie Flower.
Prairie Flower passed away during the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s forced removal from their land to Oklahoma. Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Chairman Larry Wright, Jr. says “With its name, we honor our Tribe’s past and the sacrifices our people made, while charting a new path of prosperity for our Tribe. The Prairie Flower Casino will allow us to better serve our members, while bringing economic development and growth to the Carter Lake region.”
Here are some of the features in phase one of the casino
- Square footage: Phase one of the Prairie Flower Casino will have approximately 9,500 square feet.
- Gaming: Phase one of the Prairie Flower Casino, which will open in late October 2018, will feature 200 slot-style games. Table games will not be present.
- Food and beverage: A full service bar will be located in the casino, along with a snack bar.
- Age restrictions: The Prairie Flower Casino will be open to individuals 21 years of age and older.
- Jobs created: The Prairie Flower Casino expects to initially hire approximately 100 individuals to staff the facility.
The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska has nearly 4,300 tribal citizens, with almost half residing in the states of Iowa and Nebraska.