Muscogee (Creek) Nations opens Margaritaville in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. – Parrotheads have invaded the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

On Thursday, the tribe cut the ribbon on its new 50,000 square foot Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville casino expansion and two-story 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar at its flagship River Spirit property along the banks of the Arkansas River. The new space adds 850 electronic games and 27 table games.

“I think we have been a very good locals casino and we’re not turning our back on them,” said Pat Crofts, CEO of Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos. “We’re just adding to our customer base.

“This takes it to a whole new level. We are now a top-tier destination.”

The ceremony is the first of several grand openings planned for the property as the $365 million expansion project continues. Slated to open in late 2016 and early 2017 are a full service luxury spa, a 27-story hotel, a 30,000 square foot convention center, a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a pool with swim-up bar service and a 2,500-seat concert venue that will get a visit from Buffett in January.

With 4,100 positions created just to make the expansion happen, Mike Neal with the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce pegged the three-year construction’s economic impact at $340.5 million. Moving forward, the facility is projected to have an annual impact of $135 million on the area, thanks in part to the 1,000 new jobs available at the property, plus an estimated 1,200 positions created by vendors and other area businesses to accommodate the additional foot traffic.

Built on a sandbar deeded to the tribe more than 180 years ago because it was thought to be worthless for farming or ranching, Principal Chief James Floyd said the tribe is now living an “upeckv,” the Muscogee word for “dream,” with the casino’s successful expansion and job creation.

“The return on investment will provide much needed money for our programs,” he said. “It will also provide more funds for the state of Oklahoma, which means more funding for education.”