Casinos abound; come on down
Casinos abound; come on down
By Joseph Budd
Native Sun News Today Staff Writer
One ongoing themes across the nation, is the development of Casinos, and in similar fashion, in our state, a number of casinos also have developed, with their own share of creative choices, selections, rooms and eating establishments. One that is advertised well, from Pine Ridge, is the Prairie Winds Casino and Hotel, located on Highway 18. Reaching this Casino from the major highways, the primary route for most folks will take them from Highway 79 south, then turning before Oelrichs, then turning to the east on highway 18, it’s an easy drive to the Casino, which will be on the south side of the road.
The Casino, which does require face masks, does pride itself on having a vaccinated Staff and has Sanitizer available, is a not smoking establishment. It also has 382 Slot Machines to play, Table Games with Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Roulette to enjoy. For a more leisure pace, the Casino also offers Bingo on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with the regular sessions starting at 7 p.m.
When the need for food arises, the Stronghold Restaurant is open, from 8 a.m. for breakfast until 11 a.m. and Lunch and Dinner options until 10 p.m. If dining in doesn’t appeal, the Restaurant does have Carry Out options from 8 a.m. to 11 p..m. as well.
And for the tourists who wish to stay over, the Hotel does have a number of rooms and suites, including the King suites, featuring a private whirlpool tub.
The next casino, is a more recent opening, the East Wind Casino located near Martin, South Dakota. Like its brother the Prairie Wind, both are owned by the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, this one is located a bit closer to a population center while still on Highway 18 in South Dakota. Currently this casino is flanked by two separate reservations, Pine Ridge to the west and Rosebud to the West, it does lend itself to a good variety of cultural and historic landmarks away from the casino, while within the casino, the prospective tourist can enjoy 120 slot machines, some with a progressive jackpot, but does not have the live tables feature of the Prairie Winds. It does, however offer the video poker option, as an outlet. The Casino does have a decent promotional system in play, for hot seat giveaways, and events tailored to different groups like a Seniors Day promo, for slot events for people over the age of 55. To be eligible, one would need to sign up, and then check in to see what’s on schedule for the casino.
Also, this Casino lacks a standing hotel tied to the Casino, and the nearest Airport being 50 miles away, car rental options may be best found, via Rapid City. Other options do exist, depending on where you fly in to. Sioux Falls could be an option, travelling down I-90 or down via I-29, then across highway 18 from the eastern side of the state.
Continuing down the highway 18, the next Casino is the Turtle Creek Crossing Casino, located in Mission, SD. This Casino, does feature a small deli and 26 slot machines, is located further east than the previous two, but does not have table games that may appeal to others. It is open 24/7 except on Easter and Christmas, and lists the nearest Airport as being out of Pierre, SD. From there, car rentals do exist, and it’s an easy drive south, via highway 83 south to I-90, over from Vivian to Murdo, then down highway 83 again, to Mission.
Closer to Pierre, are two more Casinos, the Golden Buffalo Casino at Lower Brule, SD, which features 200 slot machines and has a Player’s Club feature, also has a motel for overnight staying and dining options on site with a restaurant from 10am to 8pm, a breakfast menu until noon or 1pm on weekends and a good variety of Appetizers too. Reaching this casino, can be done from Pierre by following the 1806 highway south, then the road merges with BIA 10, that you’d follow to Lower Brule. Once in town, you can follow the 10 all the way to BIA 5, then turn left and the Golden Buffalo Casino will be on the left as well, behind the Wells Fargo Bank.
The second Casino to mention, is in Fort Thompson, on the Crow Creek Reservation. The featured Casino, the Lode Star, advertises over 200 slots, tables for both poker and blackjack, as well acts and events for the area. They also have a hotel, restaurant and a lounge to relax in if you choose to stay a couple of days. To reach this casino, you can follow State highway 34 south, along the Missouri River, then turn south at Stephan. Once in Ft Thompson, it will be the building on the right, before SD highway 47 turns west towards the Missouri River. There will be signs to help.
From these Casino Options, there’s multiple options to visit several in each direction, highway 18 to the south, has all three Casinos in turn, while the two upper Casinos, are on opposite sides of the Missouri River, but within driving distance for each one. Come on out and enjoy the Native American Casinos we offer!
The post Casinos abound; come on down first appeared on Native Sun News Today.
Shared by: Native Sun News Today
April 28, 2022