Prairie Flower Casino Opens Expanded Casino Floor, Tripling Gaming Positions, Launching a Sportsbook, and Offering Electronic Table Games
Casino revenue supports Ponca Tribe of Nebraska member services, like healthcare, transportation, job training, and elder meals
(CARTER LAKE, Iowa) – The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska today officially cut the ribbon to open the expanded Prairie Flower Casino, increasing its overall square footage by seven-fold, tripling the total number of gaming positions, adding a sportsbook, and ushering in Las Vegas-style electronic table games. Unlike casinos based in Nebraska, Prairie Flower Casino’s sportsbook can take wagers on Nebraska sports teams when they play at home.
“The expansion of Prairie Flower Casino is a milestone event for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, as it represents a future that offers more sustainable funding for critical Tribal programs that serve our members, like healthcare, transportation, job training, cultural preservation, and the delivery of meals for elders,” said Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Chairwoman Candace Schmidt. “We appreciate the partnership of the City of Carter Lake, our dedicated staff who helped make this possible, and most importantly, our members, elders, and ancestors whose sacrifices and perseverance led the Tribe to this celebratory day.”
The Tribe’s history and culture are noticeable throughout the facility. The casino is named after Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Chief Standing Bear’s daughter, Prairie Flower, who died on the Trail of Tears in 1877. The casino’s street address,1031 Avenue H, and the name of the main bar inside, is a nod to the date in which the federal government restored the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska – October 31st, 1990. Inside, artwork made by Ponca Tribe of Nebraska member, Terry Taylor, will hang on the walls.
“Prairie Flower Casino staff are thrilled to welcome our loyal guests and new patrons into this exciting, new, expanded casino. With hundreds of new slot machines, expanded dining and drink menus, a sportsbook, and electronic table games like blackjack, roulette, poker, and craps, our guests are going to love the entertainment variety in what will feel like a boutique gaming facility,” said Prairie Flower Casino General Manager Ernie Dellalverson.
The expanded casino, located adjacent to the existing facility, opened its doors to the public today at 10am. It will be open 24 hours. The original casino facility, which opened on November 1, 2018, will transition to an administrative and back-office workspace.
In addition to attracting millions of visitors to Carter Lake, Prairie Flower Casino has voluntarily contributed more than $4.6 million to the City of Carter Lake to support police, fire, infrastructure, and general community improvements. Amid the construction of the expansion, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska also spent millions to mitigate storm water flooding on Avenue H in Carter Lake, protecting city infrastructure and neighboring private properties.
Prairie Flower Casino continues to hire staff for the expanded casino. Individuals interested can apply at prairieflowercasino.com/careers/. For more information on Prairie Flower Casino, please visit prairieflowercasino.com.
EXCLUSIVE: A look inside new-and-improved Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake ahead of grand opening
CARTER LAKE, Iowa (WOWT) – In October 2022, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska broke ground to expand the Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake.
Two years later, First Alert 6 was given an exclusive sneak peek inside as work crews put together the 70,000 square foot expansion.
The first thing that catches the eye is the look of the new casino.
“it has a prairie or meadow look to it,” said Ernie Dellaverson, the casino’s general manager. “It’s a little bit lighter and brighter. Some of the columns will resemble prairie grasses.”
Around 600 state-of-the-art slot machines will cover the casino floor. Electronic table games are there for now, soon to be replaced with real, live-action table games.
Prairie Flower has also stepped up its food offerings. Snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served. The sports bar has walls of televisions and an upscale menu.
“We have table-side dining with fine china and glass, but it’s a sports bar called the Sky Bar and Grill,” Dellaverson said. “We have our own Prairie Flower sports betting kiosks, so these would be stations where you would come in, look at the lines, and bet on the Huskers or Iowa or whatever you like to do.”
With all this extra space and added amenities, Prairie Flower will need more employees.
They’re looking to hire.
“When we started about six years ago, I think we had about 100 employees,” Dellaverson said. “Now, we’re almost doubling that number. I think we’re somewhere around 170 right now and by the time it’s all said and done, we’ll probably be at 190 employees.”
Dellaverson said the jobs they offer are quality positions.
“[We have] great benefits,” Dellaverson said. “401k, dental, great compensation packages, all that good stuff. I think we lead in the area for those comp packages for comparable businesses.”
Right now, work crews are busy taking care of some finishing touches, but soon, the slots will be rolling for the casino’s official grand opening next week.
Even without an expanded version of the casino, the Carter Lake community has been a winner since the Ponca Tribe opened Prairie Flower in 2017.
“I think we contributed about $4.6 million to Carter Lake in our program with them,” Dellaverson said. “That helped support a lot of different functions for them.”
One of those functions is the new Carter Lake community center. Mayor Ron Cumberledge says the slots spinning at Prairie Flower played a major role in the construction of the town’s new facility.
“It’s the only way it would happen,” Cumberledge said. “This has been in the works for decades and we could just never find the resources to put life to it. Finally, when the gaming revenue came, hotel and motel tax all contributed to bringing this to order.”
The money from the casino has also helped Carter Lake bolster their public safety programs and infrastructure, according to Cumberledge.
The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday to formally open the expanded part of the facility.
Get MORE at Prairie Flower Casino Starting February 17th
On Monday, February 17, our brand-new expansion opens its doors to give you MORE! With more ways to play and win, like the brand-new Prairie Flower Sportsbook, more slots, and electronic table games, your favorite gaming destination is about to get even better.
PLUS, our exciting new expansion will offer all-new dining and beverage options! From the Sky Bar & Grill to Bar 1031 to River’s Edge Café, whether you’re here to play, dine, relax, or have the best night out with friends, you’re sure to leave feeling like a winner. Join us Monday the 17th for our ribbon cutting at 10am to experience the evolution of Prairie Flower Casino as we bring you MORE!
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska celebrates 6th Anniversary of Prairie Flower Casino, Prepares for Expansion Opening
Prairie Flower Casino has voluntarily contributed more than $4.6 million to the City of Carter Lake since opening; Casino to open Phase II Expansion in early 2025
(CARTER LAKE, Iowa) — The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska this weekend will celebrate the sixth anniversary of the opening of Prairie Flower Casino, which officially opened its doors on November 1, 2018. Prairie Flower Casino’s sixth anniversary will be its last in its original gaming space. In early 2025, the casino will open an expanded gaming floor at the same location, 1031 Avenue H in Carter Lake. The expansion will triple the number of gaming positions and bring a nearly seven-fold increase in casino square footage. In the expanded casino, guests will be able to enjoy video slot machines and electronic table games – with live Las Vegas-style table games to follow later in 2025 – a sportsbook, which will be able to take wagers on all sports teams, including college teams in Nebraska, multiple dining options and expanded entertainment.
“The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is proud of the growth Prairie Flower Casino has brought to Carter Lake, transforming a sparsely populated industrial zone into a thriving entertainment district,” said Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Chairwoman Candace Schmidt. “Our sixth year will be our best yet, with a new, expanded casino set to open in early 2025, bringing more high-quality entertainment to the region, and allowing our Tribe to continue supporting the community and reinvesting in Tribal services like healthcare, cultural preservation, workforce training, transportation, behavioral health and meal delivery.”
To celebrate the anniversary, guests will have the chance to win their share of $20,000, with a drawing for $500 in cash every 30 minutes from 3-10pm on Friday, November 1st, and from 3-9pm on Saturday, November 2nd, with a final cash grand prize drawn on Saturday at 10 pm.
In addition to attracting millions of visitors to Carter Lake, Prairie Flower Casino has voluntarily contributed more than $4.6 million to the City of Carter Lake to support police, fire, infrastructure, and general community improvements. Amid the construction of the expansion, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska also took measures to mitigate storm water flooding on Avenue H in Carter Lake, protecting city infrastructure and neighboring properties.
The Prairie Flower Casino has made a positive impact on the greater Carter Lake region since opening, including:
- Nearly $80 million in jackpots have been awarded to guests.
- Guests have won more than $1 million in jackpots in each of the past 42 months.
- More than $13 million in products purchased from local vendors, supporting jobs within the greater Omaha area.
Phase II
The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska broke ground on a new 60,000 square foot expansion of Prairie Flower Casino in October 2022, paving the way for a larger gaming floor, multiple dining options for guests, a sports book, and a retail area.
Phase II of Prairie Flower Casino will include:
- 600 Slot Machines, Electronic Table Games & Video Poker Devices
- Sports Book with a Gastro Pub
- Multiple Dining Options
- A featured center bar
- Retail spa
Prairie Flower Casino expansion project in Carter Lake nearing completion
CARTER LAKE, Iowa (WOWT) – The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is celebrating the sixth anniversary of the Prairie Flower Casino, which Nov. 1, 2018.
While the slots are rolling in the original space, work crews are busy constructing the expansion, growing the casino from its current 7,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet.
“[We had] 200 machines and it’s going to 600 slot machines,” said Ernie Dellaverson, the casino’s general manager. “From no electronic table games to games like craps and blackjack.”
Dellaverson told 6 News there will be two restaurants in the new space, including a sports bar with a sportsbook. And since all of this is technically in Iowa — situated in Carter Lake — unlike Nebraska casinos, guests will be able to gamble on Husker games here.
Right now, Prairie Flower has hired around 80 skilled workers to put together this brand new space. When it’s complete, they’ll need more people to work in the expanded casino.
“I’m searching for a great executive chef right now to oversee everything, but we are basically about 105 employees, and about 12 of those individuals are Ponca members or tribal Native Americans,” Dellaverson said. “We are ramping up to about 175 employees now. The bulk of that is going to be the food and beverage component.”
Carter Lake Mayor Ron Cumberledge says the casino has been good for his community, pumping more than $4.5 million into the city.
“It just brought extra funds for us to expand on what we want to do in the past,” said Cumberledge. “We finally completed our new community center, we expanded the police [force], brought in two new officers, a couple more cruisers. We expanded on the fire and resuce side, too, with some new equipment and training.”
Dellaverson believes the metro area market will be able to handle this expansion, and that the recent opening of Omaha’s WarHorse Casino is an indication of just that.
“WarHorse grew the market, so that’s good,” said Dellaverson. “That means we’re not at a market saturation point. The market is still growing, with means we’re at a pivotal point right here to open these doors.”
The original Prairie Flower gaming space will be transformed into administrative offices. Officials hope to have the new expanded gaming floor open in early 2025.
Guest Experience During Construction of Phase II
Prairie Flower Casino is working hard to minimize any disruptions to our guest experience while Phase II is built. After all, we understand a big reason our guests are so loyal is because of the boutique feel of Prairie Flower Casino, the friendly atmosphere and the convenience.
Prairie Flower Casino has added overflow parking a half block to the east of the casino in case our parking lot becomes full. We have repaired sidewalks from the overflow parking lot to the casino, added lighting and increased security measures along the way.
Map of Parking Areas During Construction
We want your feedback.
If you have any questions or have ideas on how to improve the guest experience during our construction, please email info@prairieflowercasino.com or let our team members know.
Thank you for your continued loyalty to Prairie Flower Casino. You are the reason we are able to grow and expand. We can’t wait to welcome you into Phase II soon!
Be sure to check back often to get the latest expansion updates.
Shuttle Service
Prairie Flower Casino appreciates your patience as we move through Phase II of the expansion. We have added a shuttle service to and from the overflow parking lot. Signs will be placed in the overflow parking lot and at the casino entrance to indicate that service is available.
Shuttle Information:
Runs: Friday & Saturday from 3:15pm to 10:45pm.
- The shuttle is a white Honda Odyssey with a light bar on the top and Prairie Flower Casino logo on the sides. The van holds up to 6 people.
- The shuttle will patrol the overflow parking lot and drop off at the main entrance.
- Guests can notify security at the podium to call for the shuttle service back to the overflow parking lot.
