CNY Business Journal (1996+): Casino brings Vegas to North Country

AKWESASNE - Travelers from all over come to Akwesasne to visit the North Country's only casino. Located on Route 37, east of Massena, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino attracts more than 1,500 guests each day, says Dianna Tarbell, the casino casino's s general manager. Akwesasne is the Mohawk word for "Land where the partridge drums." The territory's main settlement is Hogansburg, though signage bearing the name Akwesasne is becoming more common.

The casino offers table games and slot machines, as well as other popular gaming staples along with entertainment and events designed to draw in crowds.

"We're in the gaming and entertainment business," she adds.

Patrons come to the casino from New York and Vermont as well as from Ontario and Quebec. Mohawk territory covers both sides of the St. Lawrence River and extends into both Canadian provinces. Quebec has its own casinos in the city of Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa, Ontario and in the city of Montreal. On the gaming floor patrons may hear conversations in any one of the area's three predominant languages: French, English, and Mohawk.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe owns the casino as well as a bingo business on the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. The tribe reached a gaming compact with New York State in 1993. Congress' 1989 passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allowed Indian nations to enter the casino business. The act legalized several forms of gambling on Indian lands and classified games of chance into three categories. Class I gaming includes traditional and social gaming, Class II gaming includes games such as bingo, and Class III gaming includes common casino games such as black-jack and slot machines. Indian Nations were required to negotiate with state governments and clear regulatory hurdles before being allowed to operate Class III games.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Gaming Commission regulates gaining on the nation's territory. Opened in April 1999, the 60.000 square-foot casino complex employs 500. Most of the employees. says Trombley, are non-natives who live in nearby communities. Approximately 30 percent of the casino's work force is Mohawk. The players are usually 40 or older, according to the casino's market research.

As the result of an agreement with New York State, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino has approximately 1,000 Las Vegasstyle slot machines. Prior to a change in state law and regulations, slot machines were banned by New York, prompting the Oneida Nation to develop "cashless" gaming systems for the Nation's Turning Stone Casino in order to get around the ban. The Mohawk casino used similar videogaming machines before making the switch to slots.

The Mohawks' machines accept coins and electronic receipts, just like the gaining machines in any Las Vegas casino. Casual visitors to the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino likely won't notice any differences between the casino's gaining floor and those found in Nevada. Like their western counterparts, players still have the freedom to light up in the Akwesasne Casino. Smoking is still permitted on sovereign Mohawk territory.

The casino's rows of slot machines carry brands such as "Kenny Rogers' The Gambler" and other names seen throughout Nevada.

The Mohawk Casino's new slots have "ticket-in, ticket-out" cashless payoff capability. The machines cash out with coded payment skips that can be redeemed on the floor from cash machines or played in another slot machine. The ticket system eliminates the need for players to cart buckets of coins and also reduces tile casino's coin handling. For those who miss the ring of coins hitting a steel tray, the machines' sound effects simulate the traditional payout as the paper tickets print out. The casino also installed a new ,,players' club" card system at the beginning of the year to better track patron spending habits.

The cards reward players with free meals and other perks based on their gaining habits.

"We're going to stay abreast of gaming's technological trends." says Tarbell, "guests can get the 'big casino' experience right here in the small town."

Though machine gaining predominates, says Trombley, the casino's poker room proves a popular destination. The casino holds regular poker tournaments to satisfy tile current craze for "Texas Hold 'em" poker and its variants. There are more than 25 gaming tables oil the casino floor where games like blackjack and craps go on around the clock.

When patrons are ready for a break from the action. Akwesasne Mohawk Casino offers the Native Buffet and the Pair-A-Dice Lounge. The casino is planning expanded restaurant offerings, a larger lounge, and a showroom as part of its latest expansion project. A hotel for tile casino is still in the planning stages, says Trombley.

Winners can spend their loot at tile casino's Tribal Treasures gift shop before leaving for the day. For those who need a little more luck, the casino offers "no-fee" automated teller machines.