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In Depth: Some prefer what doesn't happen in Vegas

by Joan Whitley

In the debate on whether tribal casinos are simply Las Vegas wannabes, put these points in the "not like Vegas" column:

Theming

Some tribes choose a gaming "platform" such as Hard Rock or Harrah's to create casino identity. Branding by that route is "borrowed equity. We're going to pay a fee or certain percentage of profits to buy into the brand." The speaker is Andy Cier, a partner in Riester, a marketing firm.

But often, Riester works with tribes that want to engineer their own casino identities. It helped the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians plan its River Rock Casino, which opened about five years ago in Sonoma County, California.

Through focus groups, Riester first determined that "Dry Creek" would not work for a casino name because it "doesn't sound like it's going to produce winnings," Cier recalls. In the end, the Dry Creek Rancheria Band selected a name and theme that capitalize on the reservation's location overlooking a river in the heart of wine country. "Mother Nature meets Lady Luck" became the tagline to convey the concept of casino fun in scenic Sonoma.

Riester's consumer research has found a perceived negative factor in many Las Vegas casinos. "People feel intimidated. It has to do with the security, the signs, the warnings," Cier says.

So tribes strategically create facilities and work forces that emphasize friendly and natural over the grandiose. "Some tribes have very actively used their culture and history as the basis for design and decor," asserts Jim Klas, a Minnesota hospitality consultant who has worked on Indian casino projects.

ARCHITECTURE

Like many tribal startups, the Dry Creek Rancheria Band runs its gaming operation in a "sprung structure." That's jargon for a high-tech tent, like the ones used for exhibition space in downtown Las Vegas by the furniture industry's World Market Center.

The temporary structure will eventually be replaced when the Dry Creek tribe has more money, says Steve Smith, a member of the tribe and its human resources manager. But the tent is tastefully camouflaged by a wooden deck and porte cochere that suggest a rustic bungalow.

Unlike remote Indian casinos, Strip casinos have to compete visually to draw in passers-by. "They almost have to be eye candy to the shopper," Cier explains. "'I'm going to be the pyramid.' Or, 'I'm going to be the pirate ship.' 'I'm going to be the European city.'

"Out on the reservation, you can be more subdued about the destination," he continues. "You can be architecturally more subdued, more true to who you are." Tribes routinely break the Las Vegas rule of "no clocks and no windows in the casino," to take advantage of a gorgeous outdoor setting.

ENTERTAINMENT AND MARKETING

The naughty element implied by the Las Vegas slogan "What happens here, stays here" is virtually absent from tribal gaming, Klas says. Rather, most tribes request dignity and nonsexualized fun when planning a public image for a casino.

Topless showgirl entertainment on reservations is nonexistent. Sometimes no alcohol is served on the premises, either.

"Very few give alcohol away on the gaming floor. Many more do sell alcohol in their facilities," but don't allow patrons to carry drinks from a restaurant or bar onto the floor, Klas says.

In rural areas, reservation casinos have become regional entertainment venues, according to Kell Houston. He is a partner in Talent Buyers Network, a Las Vegas-based business that counts many tribal casinos among its clients.

Long-running house shows don't work in Indian country, because the casinos have mostly repeat visitors. Concert venues, as a result, are dark more nights than in Las Vegas. But Houston maintains the Indian casino circuit has allowed a lot of performers, bands past their heyday and artists who previously worked only fairs and festivals, to quit their day jobs.

DIVERSIFICATION

Expand and upgrade the casino resort and then branch away from gaming. That seems to be the business mantra for tribes with mature gaming operations.

Commercial casino empires normally try to spread the same product, or something close, into new markets. Many tribes, by contrast, are taking steps to move some eggs from gaming into new baskets.

"Indian Gaming '07," the recent trade show, held a session on how rural tribes can leverage the expensive electronic equipment used to run their casino and security operations into a new business: offering digital access, such as Internet and Internet-based telephone service, to consumers off the reservation. Such services may not be otherwise available, or available at only high cost, when a locale is remote from the dense urban markets that commercial providers prefer.

The Dry Creek Rancheria Band has started a construction company that will bid on road building contracts and projects on other tribes' reservations, Smith says.

The Tule River Band is part owner in an aviation company that designs and repairs electronic equipment on airplanes. The tribe owns the Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, Calif.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, which has two casinos, also has a printing and direct mail company, an electronics business and a business park that leases 120,000 square feet to American Greetings for hand-finishing of greeting cards.

The Oneida Indian Nation of New York, which owns Turning Stone Resort & Casino, has diversified into marinas and a national weekly newspaper called Indian Country Today.

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