KISS members team up with Kaw Nation for Oklahoma casino resort
Television and music star Gene Simmons along former band member Paul Stanley will lend their Rock & Brews restaurant concept to a new venture with the Kaw Nation for a casino resort to be situated near the border of Oklahoma and Kansas on Interstate 35 in Braman.
Braman, Oklahoma is about 125 miles northwest of Tulsa and 55 miles south of Witchita near Ponca City where the Osage Casino & Hotel, owned and operated by the Osage Nation of Oklahoma is located and where the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma close their Two Rivers Casino “seasonally”, as travelers wonder if it will ever be open permanently again.
More details should become available leading up to or after a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Thursday, January 12, according to a Wednesday report on tulsaworld.com. Kaw Nation Chairwoman Jacque Secondline Hensley is expected to attend as well as restaurateur/hotelier Michael Zislis, and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano, who are partners with Simmons and Stanley. An announcement on the Rock & Brews website promises more information on January 12.
Including airport terminal venues such as LAX, Simmons and Stanley have nearly 20 Rock & Brews scattered throughout the US and as far away as San José del Cabo on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Sur peninsula. This will not be their first foray into the casino food and beverage arena, however, as the team opened a Rock & Brews in the 300,000 sq ft San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland, Ca. just a few months ago.
In addition to their Southwind Casino in Newkirk, the Kaw Nation celebrated the completion of Phase II of the Southwind Casino in Braman on December 9, 2015. That expansion added 10,000 sq ft and over 300 slots to the casino. At that time it was reported that the tribe had plans for future development that included a resort and hotel.
The Kaw Nation is the only Oklahoma tribe that has completed the two-part determination process under provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, giving them the ability to open casinos off traditional reservation lands.
In an announcement to Kaw Nation tribal citizens, Chairwoman Hensley said, “We are on a very clear and quick path to the long-awaited, much-anticipated development of an opportunity to again become the industry leader in our market for gaming and entertainment.”
She added, “Although we are proceeding quickly, rest assured that we are proceeding with the utmost diligence ensuring the best interest of the Nation and each of its Citizens is the primary focus. I assure you that additional information will be consistent and forth-coming as this very exciting opportunity continues to develop.”
The statement was published on the Nation’s website Monday.