BETTING ON THE FUTURE
Chief says Lloydminster casino shows First Nations adapting to times, writes Betty Ann Adam.
LUCKY HORSE SHOES
Lloydminster’s new Golden Horse Casino was named in a traditional ceremony, says Chief Wayne Semaganis of Little Pine Cree Nation. “We went and prayed at a ceremony and asked for an appropriate name,” he said.
“It’s good to name it after one of the animals that has proven of great benefit to First Nations people.”
The arrival of horses on the Great Plains increased the land that could be used for hunting and was, in a sense, an economic generator, Semaganis said.
“It helped expand how we did business, how we do life. Today, we’re expanding our economy, our way of doing business, our way of taking care of our people .... Business development is one of them.
“A casino is the new economy for First Nations people .... We’re adapting again. The name fits how we are evolving one more time.”
IN THE SADDLE
The Golden Horse is being built on the Saskatchewan side of the border city, on land owned by Little Pine Cree Nation. Their partners will be First Nations, including Onion Lake, Poundmaker, Lucky Man, Beardy’s, Canoe Lake and Pelican Lake and several others, as yet undetermined, who will invest as part of the Border Tribal Council, which is a legal entity, not a political organization, Semaganis said. The partners will own business entities that are not buffeted by political changes in band leadership, he added.
THE VIEW FROM UP HERE
The foundation has been poured and the builders expect arrival of the steel next week to build the walls and roof of the 25,000 square foot facility. Once that shell is built, the interior can be constructed through the winter. It will encompass a 500-seat entertainment complex with skyboxes that will be available for sale or lease to corporations. The casino should open in July if everything goes according to plan, Semaganis said.
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES
SIGA casinos had revenues of $253.7 million in 2016-2017 with net profits of $81.1 million, according to its annual general report. Half the profits are distributed to Saskatchewan First Nations based on their populations, 25 per cent goes to the province’s general revenue fund and 25 per cent goes to fund local initiatives in communities where casinos are located, through regional community development corporations.
SIGA employs almost 1,900 people, about 66 per cent of whom are First Nations. More than 4.5 million customers visit the casinos annually.
THE REST OF THE STABLE
The Golden Horse becomes the seventh in a stable of successful First Nations owned and operated gaming houses, including White Bear First Nation’s Bear Claw Casino & Hotel near Carlyle; Whitecap Dakota First Nation’s Dakota Dunes Casino near Saskatoon; Mosquito First Nation’s Gold Eagle Casino in North Battleford; Nekaneet First Nation’s Living Sky Casino in Swift Current; Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation’s Northern Lights Casino in Prince Albert; and Kahkewistahaw First Nation’s Painted Hand Casino in Yorkton.