Theme-based attractions touted for Indian casinos

Lynn Ducey

Thursday, April 10, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.

PHOENIX -- Adding water parks, gas stations and miniature golf courses near Indian casinos can lengthen stays and generate more money for tribes, officials said at a national Indian gambling conference Wednesday.

Theme-based attractions are part of a wider trend in the casino industry which made more than 50 percent of its profits from nongambling sources in 2002, business leaders said.

"A lot of the casinos are expanding, adding and renovating. We're looking at this as being a growth industry for the future," said Matthew S. Robinson, founder of Klas Robinson, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm.

Although water parks can cost up to several million dollars, even smaller projects can keep casino money cycling in a reservation economy and add to a resort's overall quality.

"We have a gas station, but we want to make it bigger and we want to do it right," said Tom Teegarden, chief executive officer of Acoma Business Enterprises.

Teegarden's tribe, the Pueblo of Acoma, operate the Sky City Casino and Hotel in New Mexico.

He and Earl J. Hansen, executive director of the Yurok Tribe's Economic Development Corp., were among 3,000 Indian leaders who attended the annual convention of the National Indian Gaming Association which ended Wednesday.

"We're definitely looking at a service station project. The gas is the first thing, but we are also looking for a quick-serve restaurant and a convenience store," Hansen said.

In addition to service stations, miniature golf courses and laser tag are other low-cost options which can also add to a casino's draw, said Christopher B. Foster, director of sales and marketing for COST Inc.

But water parks can really help a casino's bottom line, officials said.

Casinos with water parks had significantly higher occupancy rates and were able to charge $69 more per room on average than those without, Foster said. There are 18 such casinos in the nation including the Mississippi Choctaw's Pearl River Resort and the Seven Clans Thief River Falls Casino in Warroad, Minn., he said.

Liz Foster-Anderson, general manager of the Shooting Star Casino, Hotel and Event Center in Mahnomen, Minn., said tribal officials still need to consider individually whether the investment in a water park would pay off though.

"Water-park attractions would go over really well in a metro market. But when we're adding amenities, one of the key tools we use is asking our customers, 'what else would you like to see?' " Anderson said.