Prior Lake, MN – A loan and grant package totaling $4 million to the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota will fund upgrades to their Royal River Casino and a new community center.

Of the $3 million loan, $2 million will go towards upgrading the tribe’s casino. In 2011 the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe (FSST) negotiated a new compact with the state of South Dakota which allows them to add 250 additional class III slot machines to their casino, for a total of 500 gaming devices. SMSC funds will be used to purchase new slot machines, bases, chairs, software, surveillance cameras, signage, landscaping, and information technology upgrades.

The Royal River complex features a casino, a 300 seat entertainment and conference center, a 120 room hotel with an indoor swimming pool, a full service restaurant, buffet, snack bar, lounge, and an adjacent RV park.

Since the FSST currently has no facility to house community events and gatherings, $1 million of the SMSC loan and a $1 million grant for fiscal year 2012 will be used for this project. The facility will provide space for events like wakes and funerals, tribal meetings, and activities for youth and elders.  The Moody County Boys & Girls Club, which has 80% Native American children enrolled,  will also be housed in the new community center.

With this loan and grant, since 2004 the SMSC has provided $10.35 million in grants and loans to the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe for economic development efforts, purchase of a convenience store, and a senior independent living project. 

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Indian Reservation is comprised of 2,500 acres of land located along and near the Big Sioux River in Moody County, South Dakota. Over the past 16 years, the SMSC has donated more than $229.3 million to Indian Tribes, charitable organizations, schools, and Native American organizations. The SMSC has also made more than $396 million in loans to other tribes for economic development projects.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its Tribal members in education, health, and welfare. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has a charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need.

Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.5 million for shared local road construction projects and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $12.7 million to local governments for services and another $5 million for other projects.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Mazopiya, Playworks, Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, Shakopee Dakota Convenience Stores, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities.