WinnaVegas Casino Resort turns 30 years old
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SLOAN, Iowa -- It might be a gamble to celebrate an anniversary on April Fools' Day, but WinnaVegas Casino Resorts is not adverse to rolling the dice.
You can't call it beginner's luck since the casino -- owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska -- will be marking its birthday with a 30th anniversary party at 1 p.m. Friday on the main casino floor of the entertainment complex near Sloan, 1500 330th St.
Along with a ribbon-cutting, short presentations and refreshments, WinnaVegas will kick off a monthlong series of celebrations, which will include a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win $500,000 in the Press for Cash contest.
In honor of its milestone anniversary, here are 30 things you may not know about WinnaVegas.
1. Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska -- the owner of WinnaVegas -- is one of two federally- recognized tribes of Ho-Chunk Native Americans. The other Ho-Chunk Tribe is headquartered in Wisconsin.
2. Tribe members call themselves Hochungra -- or "People of the Parent Speech."
3. In 1992, three years after Iowa legalized riverboat casinos, the Department of Inspections and Appeals, on behalf of Gov. Terry Branstad, negotiated gambling compacts with three tribes with reservations in Iowa, including the Winnebago.
4. WinnaVegas Casino officially opened on April 30, 1992. The facility was originally a bingo parlor called, what else, WinnaBingo! Even though gaming opportunities have greatly increased over the years, WinnaVegas is one of the few Siouxland places offering bingo. Indeed, the casino's bingo hall remains one of the casino's most popular -- and most affordable -- features.
5. Measuring 54,353 square feet, WinnaVegas has one of the largest gaming floors in the region.
6. Today's casino has has more than 767 slot machines -- the most in Siouxland -- and 10 casino table games.
7. WinnaVegas is the area's oldest Las Vegas-style casino. The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska's Blackbird Bend Casino -- formerly CasinOmaha -- opened near Onawa, Iowa in July 1992. The Sioux City Sue riverboat casino started plying the Missouri River in 1993. The floating casino, later known as the Belle of Sioux City, closed in July 2014, days before the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino opened in downtown Sioux City.
8. One of the driving forces in the local community, WinnaVegas employs hundreds of local residents, paying more than $311 million in wages to date.
9. WinnaVegas also features a spacious event center and multiple meeting rooms.
11. The casino resort has paid more than $270 million to local vendors for products and services.
12. WinnaVegas has donated more than $5.7 million to various entities in Siouxland.
13. Casino profits are reinvested by the tribe into the community of Winnebago. Approximately, 1,150 people live on the reservation.
14. In 2019, WinnaVegas rated No. 1 on a list of Iowa casinos by readers of Casino Player magazine. Not only did it top the "Where You Feel the Luckiest" category, the facility was chosen the "Favorite Casino Resort to Vacation At."
15. Guests often rave at WinnaVegas' Flower Island Restaurant, which feature buffets during breakfast, lunch and dinner.
16. The name of the restaurant is significant. WinnaVegas now sits on what was once an island in the middle of the Missouri River. The island's name was Flower Island.
17. In a similar way, the casino's fast casual dining Kasu Cafe is named after a game, played by Ho-Chunk ladies who used dice made of bone or wood.
18. The best thing on Kasu Cafe's menu? The Cowboy Burger, with a quarter-pound beef patty, cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce and topped with a big onion ring.
19. Thankfully, duck is not on Kasu Cafe's menu. When the Missouri River flooded in 2011, there was a period when the only way to reach WinnaVegas was via duck boats, amphibious vehicles that can go on both land and water.
20. Such A-List country stars as Willie Nelson, Toby Keith and Jake Owen have played WinnaVegas.
21. Superstar Tanya Tucker will keep the tradition going with her "Hard Luck Tour," which comes to WinnaVegas on May 14.
22. Legendary rockers like Bachman & Turner, Foreigner and Styx also rolled into the casino.
23. With more than three decades of touring, Big Head Todd -- already Saturday in the Park vets -- will rock WinnaVegas on June 4.
24. Want your entertainment a bit more kitschy? Such 90s-era faves as Tiffany, Sheena Easton and C+C Music Factory have entertained WinnaVegas crowds during the past year.
25. Always expanding its demographics, WinnaVegas has played host to a truly diverse line-up of performers, ranging from tender boleros to brassy mariachi to, even, edgy Afro-Cuban music.
26. This trend will continue with The Mavericks, an iconic band that combines Tex-Mex, neotraditional country music, Latin and rockabilly. They'll be coming to WinnaVegas on April 23.
27. Let's say music's not your thing. The casino resort has been the scene for boxing, wrestling and MMA bouts over the years.
28. Are you more of a sportsman than a spectator? WinnaVegas has a snazzy, all-seasons indoor golf simulator. For athletes wanting to exert less effort may be impressed by WinnaVegas' gaming lounge, which has a full selection of PlayStation, Wii and Xbox games.
29. In 2020, former Journal reporter and online editor Cole Paxton tried his luck, visiting WinnaVegas for a story. With $5 in his pocket, Paxton played the slot machines for around 20 minutes. Did he hit it big? No, but Paxton still had around a dollar in change when he left the casino.
30. Who knows? Gaming is about luck as much as it is about strategy. Perhaps you'll be a big winner at WinnaVegas. Remember, a 30th anniversary is considered a "Pearl" anniversary.
