The expansion would double the size of the facility to 380,000 square feet of gaming space, with 6,000 electronic games and nearly 100 table games. There was also paper-play bingo and off-track betting, as well as three restaurants, a deli and the 1,500-seat ShowPlace Theatre. The facility also offers 44 poker tables and 24 blackjack tables to round out its gaming opportunities. At the time, the facility offered more than 2,100 electronic games in three distinct venues: the Palace, the Center Ring and the Mariachi areas.
The Chickasaw Nation begins site preparation to double the size of WinStar Casino. WinStar Golf Club, an 18-hole facility located southeast of the main casino, opens to the public. In July, the bingo hall expands to include a small selection of electronic games covering 190,000 square feet and is renamed WinStar Casino. The Chickasaw Nation opens a bingo hall to the east of Interstate 35, just north of the Oklahoma-Texas border.
From its origins as a small bingo hall off I-35 nearly three decades ago to its current status as the World’s Biggest Casino, WinStar World Casino and Resort has a storied and surprising history.
