GOLDSBY - Hundreds of people have expressed interest in working in the Chickasaw Nation's 219,000-square-foot Riverwind Casino under construction south of Norman, spokeswoman Kym Koch Thompson said.
Advertisement
The casino, which is located on State Highway 9 west of Interstate 35 in Cleveland County, is expected to open in July.
Casino officials are in the process of scheduling interviews resulting from a job fair Saturday at Moore Norman Technology Center's south Oklahoma City campus, Thompson said.
About 800 people attended the job fair, she said.
In all, casino officials plan to hire 1,874 people. So far, the casino has hired more than 800 workers, Thompson said.
Thompson said the casino has hired its dealers and has begun training them to work at its 70 blackjack and poker tables.
Thompson said many other types of jobs remain to be filled, including security, surveillance and money handling. Several jobs will require the applicants to undergo background checks.
People with backgrounds in information technology and software programs will be required for maintenance of the 2,200 gaming machines, Thompson said.
Part-time workers at the casino will be able to get benefits, including paid time off and paid health insurance and participation in a retirement savings plan after six months, Thompson said.
Some dealers who had been working in Las Vegas applied when they heard about the benefits being offered, Thompson said.
The part-time jobs are expected to attract students and retirees, said Susanne Woolley, chief administrative officer for Chickasaw Enterprises.
Minimum age to get a gaming license to work at the casino is 18; dealers must be at least 21. Woolley said.
Security personnel, who will carry either stun guns or firearms, must be at least 21, she said.
Meanwhile, Norman officials are looking forward to the opening of what has been described as the biggest casino in Oklahoma, said Don Wood, executive director of Norman's Economic Development Coalition.
"I think the impact will be huge on Norman from a visitor standpoint," Wood said. Visitors will be "spending their dollars at the casino and at businesses to and from the casino."
The casino "offers some employment opportunities for people that need alternative work schedules," Wood said.
The casino will also feature a 1,500-seat theater, two restaurants, food court, off-track betting lounge and an event center.
Future plans may include adding a hotel to the casino complex, but the Chickasaws want to get the casino established first, Woolley said.
Riverwind will create competition for several other casinos in the immediate area, Wood said. "Competition is good. It makes everybody do a better job in service and offerings."
The Chickasaw Nation expects most customers to come from the immediate area, Woolley said. Casino customers tend to patronize "the ones that are near them or are near their work. Mostly it's local."
When Remington Park added its gaming machines, Chickasaw-owned casinos at Newcastle and Goldsby saw a drop in customers, but eventually, "most of our customers came back," Woolley said.
Riverwind and nearby casinos will find themselves competing for employees, Wooley said.
