Mayetta – The Prairie Band Casino and Resort will hold a cake-cutting to commemorate twenty years of casino operations. Our celebration will begin at 4:00PM on January 12, 2018 inside the Prairie Band Casino and Resort.
“We would like to thank all the employees, patrons, business associates and the community for their continued partnership in celebrating the last 20 years of operating Prairie Band Casino and Resort.”
The casino opened in 1998 after successful negotiation with the State of Kansas. This allowed the Nation to operate a Class III gaming facility on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, a federally recognized Indian tribe, owns and operates the casino, located approximately 20 miles north of Topeka.
The revenue generated by the Casino is the main funding source for the tribal government operations. Many of these services benefit not only tribal citizens but also non-tribal citizens who reside within common land boundaries. These include, fire, police, and emergency services, road and land maintenance, environmental and solid waste services.
In addition to providing funding for governmental services, the Nation also gives a portion of the Casino revenues back to the community through charitable contributions. Over the past 20 years, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has donated nearly $10 million dollars back to the northeast Kansas community.
The growth of the casino has also led to expansion of new construction and economic development. Each year the casino provides employment to over 700 people. The tribal government and its other enterprises employ another 400. This provides jobs for approximately 1100 in Topeka, Holton and the surrounding communities.
The economic successes of the Prairie Band Potawatomi has not only provided direct employment but indirect employment through the use of area vendors, engineering and auditing firms, construction companies, and many other businesses in Shawnee County, Jackson County and northeast Kansas.
“The funds the Nation receives from the Casino have helped us build up our community and our members. We fund police, fire and emergency services, housing programs, a health facility, Boys and Girls Club, road and bridge maintenance, and all of the things it takes to run a government. We also provide early childhood education, childcare, meal services to elders in our community, education opportunities, and language and culture classes to our people. All of these things combined; help create a safer community in which our children, our future, and our culture can thrive.” Liana Onnen, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairwoman.