Former Lake Texoma Lodge gets new life as casino, resort
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In May, the Chickasaw Nation opened its new West Bay Casino and Resort in what was formerly the Lake Texoma State Lodge, bringing with it new jobs, a new influx of economic income and a new strategic position targeting the lucrative North Texas drive market.
Located on the shores of Lake Texoma, the new development is the tribe’s 16th casino in Oklahoma and solidifies the tribe’s presence with consumers in both Oklahoma and its neighboring state.
Located on 61 acres near the Catfish Bay Marina, the new casino joins the Chickasaw’s WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville in the state’s southern border. WinStar, one of the largest casinos in the world, is the signature economic asset for the Chickasaw Nation, boasting of 400,000-square-feet containing 10,500 slot machines, 100 table games, 55 poker tables, 800-seat bingo hall, 17 restaurants, the Lucas Oil Live entertainment center and a golf course.
The new resort also brings much needed jobs and economic growth to the Lake Texoma area. With an estimated annual economic impact of $58 million a year — expected to reach $170 million by 2029 — the new center also brought in 170 new jobs.
The plans to develop a new casino in Kingston was announced in early 2020. Sitting on 50 acres of lakefront property, the new casino replaces the former Texoma State Lodge, which was demolished in 2009. After being demolished, non-tribal developers had planned to build a $750 million resort, but failed to come through. The tribe acquired the property instead in 2016.
“The Chickasaw Nation’s involvement in this project began in 2016, when Governor Anoatubby announced our partnership with the state of Oklahoma to develop this stunning piece of land here by Lake Texoma,” Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Commerce Dan Boren said.
The new casino offers 10,000 square feet of space with 275 slot machines and several blackjack and roulette tables. A 40-room hotel, as well as 10 lake cabins, a restaurant and bar and meeting space, rounds out the new development.
At the ribbon cutting, held May 2, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said he remembered the old lodge as being a gathering place, something he hoped the new resort would offer to the area again.
“The Chickasaw Nation is honored to have worked with the state of Oklahoma on this project,” Anoatubby said during the ribbon cutting celebration. “We always enjoy partnering with other entities that seek to improve the standard of life for our fellow Oklahomans. We look forward to further opportunities to do that.”
Adjacent to the West Bay Casino and Resort is the Chickasaw Point Golf Course, a 7,085-yard Championship 18-hole golf course that was rated the #2 public golf course in Oklahoma and #16 in the US. The casino joins the Chickasaw Nation’s existing Lake Texoma area facility MegaStar Casino, which has a gaming floor with more than 600 electronic gaming machines.
“The ripple effects of the Chickasaw Nation’s investment will be felt in businesses in the town of Kingston and across this part of Oklahoma, as more and more visitors begin returning to this beautiful area,” Anoatubby said at the ribbon cutting.
While WinStar is still the largest economic gaming facility in the state, having a new casino so close to Texas is expected to drive more traffic from the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s more than 5.7 million people.l
