Afteryearsandmonthsof work, Harrah’s Oklahoma is officially opening its doors on April 9.
According to General Manager Joe Scibetta, about 50 percent of the gaming floor is set up, which is about 500 machines, with another 80 set to come in early this week.
Scibetta said every week they continue to add more machines, with table games set to come in the middle of the month.
“The bars are taking shape. If you come, the bar tops are on here. The flooring is being put in around the bars, which is fantastic. Our carpet is 100 percent installed. Ceilings are done, and we get our kitchens on March 1, so that we could start firing up the kitchens and start testing the food. So yeah, things are pretty much a good go,” he said.
Iowa Tribe Chairman Jacob Keyes is excited about the opening.
“They’re all hustling to do the final touches and get things together, and you walk around, and you would not think that we’re going to open in two months. But every week when I walk in there, so much stuff gets done, I have confidence they’ll be ready, he said. “I know our tribal members are ecstatic, and this has just been a project that’s been in the making for years and years and years and so forth to finally happen.”
Keyes said he senses a lot of excitement from the public as well, especially customers at the current Ioway Casino. He hopes that the new casino will be an economic boon for the other businesses in the area as Caesars Rewards brings more people in.
He said he feels people are going to be really impressed with the food at the new restaurant and the two bars, adding that it’s something beyond just the bigger gaming experience.
“I think they’ll be happy with the food options and having a couple of bar areas, especially as one of them would be really good for watching the Thunder play this summer and football season coming up in the fall. People will really enjoy that,” he said.
The restaurant is an area where Harrah’s is bringing something different, Scibetta added. While it will have contemporary American fare, they will offer family-style service. If a group of four to six people would like to come in and share a meal like they’re at a family table, all of the entres are available that way.
“We have many pillars, but one of our pillars is family style service. And it’s the feeling of that you’re a guest in our home and we’re treating you as family. And so why not have people have the opportunity to share a meal with big dishes,” he said.
Scibetta said he is most looking forward to seeing Caesars Rewards and the energy around it. He said the brand is about fun and energy and he’s excited to see that play out in Chandler.
“Watching our team members explain the value of our player club being a national player club as opposed to local only and I think that’s going to be the difference maker and the other also is to see the customers recognize that the design of this casino is different and that it has a lot more features like a Las Vegas casino,” he said.
Harrah’s is now also switching from job fairs to hiring fairs, with the difference being that they now plan to offer jobs on-site. The first was held in Chandler at the Route 66 Interpretive Center on Tuesday.The hope is for the casino to be fully staffed by mid-March.