Management contract for Indian casino extended

Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas announced Wednesday that its management contract for a Kansas Indian casino has been extended for five years.

Harrah's has managed the Harrah's Prairie Band Casino, located 17 miles north of Topeka, Kan., since its opening in January 1998. That contract was set to expire in January 2003; this extension, signed with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, extends that management agreement to January 2008. The extended agreement must be approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

The tribe's general council approved the extension in July.

"The performance of this casino has been overwhelming, far surpassing our initial expectations," said Harrah's Chairman and Chief Executive Phil Satre.

The extension is the third Harrah's has signed with a tribal partner. Harrah's has already inked management contract extensions for Harrah's Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino and Harrah's Cherokee Smoky Mountains Casino, located in western North Carolina.