ARLINGTON, Texas — The Winstar World Casino and Resort won’t be quite the same when it reopens May 27th. Here are five things you need to know about what to expect. WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, OK. 448,295 likes 2,598 talking about this 1,192,357 were here. Oklahoma's Biggest Casino!

Hotel near WinStar Casino in Thackerville. In Thackerville. Stay at this Thackerville hotel and you'll be within half a mile (1 km) of WinStar Casino and 2 miles (3 km) of WinStar Golf Course. Gainesville Outlet Shops is within 9 miles (15 km) and Gainesville War Memorial is within 12 miles (20 km). WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville: Hours, Address, WinStar World Casino and Resort Reviews: 3.5/5. 777 Casino Ave Interstate 35, Thackerville, OK 73459.

WinStar World Casino and Resort is an American tribal casino and hotel located in Thackerville, Oklahoma, near the Oklahoma–Texas state line. It is owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation. The casino opened as the WinStar Casinos in 2004, and was expanded (with a 395-room hotel tower) and renamed WinStar World Casino in 2009; its 370,000 square feet (34,000 m²) of casino floor made it the world's largest casino.^[2] In August 2013, WinStar Resorts completed a major expansion project, which added a new 1000-room second hotel tower that was divided into two phases; this also added a new casino that is attached to the tower. As a result of the completion of this expansion, the casino overtook Foxwoods Resort Casino to become the largest casino in the United States and one of the largest in the world based on gaming floor space. WinStar has 8,500 electronic games, a 55-table poker room, 100 total table games, Racer's off-track betting,^[3] high limit room, keno, and bingo.^[4]

Location and history[edit]

WinStar World Casino and Resort is located about 120 miles south from the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and one hour north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and attracts many people from the North Texas region as well as Oklahoma residents. The casino's 3,500 seat Global Event Center has been home to some popular entertainment attractions including Jay Leno, Vince Gill, Adam Lambert, Weezer, Lil Wayne, ZZ Top, Maroon 5, Kid Rock, Tony Bennett, and Davy Jones, who gave his final concert at WinStar on February 19, 2012.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]}

The casino closed temporarily between March 16 to March 31, 2020 due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic as announced by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby.^[22] The casino was closed throughout the remainder of April 2020.^[23] The casino reopened on in May 2020, with restrictive guidelines.^[24]

Design[edit]

WinStar was conceived by noted designer Larry E. Seitz whose work includes Sands Casinos, Trump Taj Mahal, Grand Casinos in Mississippi, Barona Casino, Buffalo Run, Chisholm Trail, Grand Princess, SS Norway, Casino Panama, Costa Rica Casino, Stellaris Casino Aruba, and the Paradise Island Casino among others. Additionally Hotels created for the brands Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, Marriott, Crown Plaza, Melina, Loews, Holiday, Ramada, InterContinental, and independents worldwide. Restaurants and Clubs have been produced internationally.Special effects, commissioned art, and sculptures were constructed and implemented by Dallas-based ValueWorks and produced by their suppliers in the U.S. and around the world.The exterior of the building was detailed by Lyndon Stromberg, who also worked on The Venetian and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as well as the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas and Planet Hollywood in New York City. The long façade exterior of WinStar World Casino features replicas of London's Parliament Building, Rome's Coliseum and the Arc de Triomphe from Paris.^[25]

Hotel information[edit]

WinStar World Casino and Resort is home to the 12-story, 395-room WinStar World Casino Hotel that is adjacent to the gaming floor. On August 6, 2009, the 395-room hotel tower held a grand opening celebration that featured performances by American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Meeting rooms that have varied capacities of 10-200 people, a resort-style pool with a custom-built waterfall grotto, the Spa Habitat, and the Cloverleaf Boutique gift shop also opened on this date. WinStar World Casino and Resort also offers a variety of restaurants, many of which are open until late night hours, including Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill.^[26] The second hotel tower, the Pool Tower North, opened in August 2013, while the third hotel tower, the Pool Tower South, opened in early 2014. Both towers have a capacity of 500 rooms each and are adjacent to each other. The Inn at WinStar has 101 rooms, and is accessed from the casino and the RV park by a 24-hour shuttle service. There are around 100 table games at the WinStar World Casino. Table games include blackjack, Mississippi stud, midi baccarat, poker, ultimate Texas hold'em etc. The 19000 sq ft poker room has 55 poker tables. There is a restaurant Red River Grill inside the poker room.^[27]

Winstar Casino Oklahoma Tx

Offsite areas[edit]

Hotels Near Winstar Casino Oklahoma Tx

WinStar Golf Club[edit]

The WinStar Golf Club features two 18-hole golf courses designed by former PGA Tour Pro, D.A. Weibring which holds golf tournaments each year. In addition, the WinStar Golf Academy, a 4,850-square-foot (451 m²) facility, offers private golf lessons.^[28]

WinStar RV Park[edit]

WinStar RV park is a 200-space RV Park that is available to people visiting the casino. A shuttle service to the casino is available to guests in the RV Park.

Bull riding[edit]

In 2011, the Professional Bull Riders brought their Built Ford Tough Seriesbull riding tour to the WinStar World Casino with an event at an outdoor arena constructed near the casino itself. The event was sponsored by WinStar World Casino and was held annually from 2011 to 2017 under the name 'WinStar World Casino Invitational'. The 2011 event was the first outdoor event on the BFTS since 2005.

References[edit]

1. ^[1]Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
2. ^Lassek, P.J., 'What were the odds?', Oklahoma Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff, p 30
3. ^'Casino City: WinStar World Casino'. Oklahoma.casinocity.com.
4. ^'Eyes on Texas and Oklahoma: WinStar World Casino'. Durangotexas.com.
5. ^'Davy Jones gives final interview to a Texoma radio personality'. Kxii.com. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
6. ^'WinStar World Casino Global Event Center in Thackerville, OK Convention / Conference Center 73459 - Dallas Morning News'. Listings.dallasnews.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
7. ^'The Official Site of the Chickasaw Nation WinStar World Casino and Resort opens new hotel tower, other expansion projects'. Chickasaw.net. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
8. ^'WinStar Global Event Center Oklahoma'. ChickasawCountry.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
9. ^'Rainmaker Implements GuestREV Revenue Management System at Chickasaw Nation Properties in Oklahoma'. Letitrain.com. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
10. ^'WinStar World Casino and Resort Opens new Hotel Tower, Other Expansion Projects - WFLA News Channel 8'. Wfla.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
11. ^GENE TRIPLETT (2011-10-07). 'Weezer will play casino date in Thackerville'. News OK. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
12. ^'Bellator MMA & WinStar World Casino Announce 2013 Event Partnership - Bellator MMA'. Bellator.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
13. ^@MMAjunkie (2012-12-18). 'Bellator plans three events for Oklahoma's WinStar World Casino in 2013'. MMAjunkie. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
14. ^'Area Attractions Fort Worth Chamber Chamber of Commerce'. Fort Worth Chamber. 2000-04-22. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
15. ^'Oklahoma: Casino resorts prove good gamble'. Smallmarketmeetings.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
16. ^'Casino resorts are on an expansion roll throughout the South'. Meetingsfocus.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
17. ^'Academy of Country Music :: Nominees'. Acmcountry.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
18. ^'World's Fifth Largest Casino, WinStar World, Opens New Hotel'. Prweb.com. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
19. ^'WinStar World Casino and Resort : Entertainment'. Winstarworldcasino.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
20. ^'WinStar Casino opens new hotel'. 500nations.com. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
21. ^'Winstar World Opens New Hotel, and Remodels Gaming Plaza'. Prweb.com. 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
22. ^'WinStar, Choctaw Close Casinos to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus'. KXAS-TV. March 16, 2020.
23. ^Butcher, K. (April 10, 2020). 'Chickasaw Nation casinos, offices to remain closed due to COVID-19 pandemic'. KFOR-TV.
24. ^https://www.winstar.com/reopening/
25. ^'Stromberg Architectural Project Profile: WinStar World Casino'. Strombergarchitectural.com.
26. ^'TripAdvisor:WinStar World Casino Hotel, Thackerville'. Tripadvisor.com.
27. ^'Some of the Biggest Casinos in America - Refund Management Services'. Refundmanagement.com. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
28. ^'Facilities - Winstar Golf Club'. Winstar.rexacademies.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.

External links[edit]

North Texans: If you feel like gambling, there’s good news for you.

The casino many in North Texas head to — the WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma — will reopen Wednesday.

WinStar, like other casinos across the country, has been closed since mid-March because of the rapid spread of coronavirus.

But just know that if you decide to head there soon, some things will be a little different.

You’ll have your temperature taken before you get to go inside. If it’s 100.4 or higher, you’ll be asked to go home and talk to your doctor.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said businesses everywhere are starting to reopen and he’s not surprised that WinStar is among them.

But he said he won’t plan a trip there with his mother-in-law, who is a fan of casinos, for about a month, just to see how it goes.

“They are going to figure this out,” he said. “We’ve got to begin to open this up again and just be careful.”

A note on the WinStar website lays out some changes:

? The number of people inside will be no more than 25% the building’s capacity. And even though casinos traditionally never close, WinStar will shut its doors between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. every day for a “deep-cleaning of all areas of the gaming floor using electrostatic spraying techniques with EPA-certified chemicals.”

? Some electronic games will be moved. Poker, table games, bingo and off-track betting are suspended until further notice.

? People will be encouraged to social distance. To help with that, every other chair will be removed from electronic games.

? Hand sanitizer stations will be throughout the casino. Customers and employees alike will have to wear face masks or some face covering.

? And, when the occupancy limit is reached, the casino will let customers wait outside until they can enter.

Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said North Texans should “make a wise decision” for themselves and their families if they decide to head to a casino.

“If you’re going to be out, make sure you social distance and wear a mask.”

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