Some folks may not remember the bingo hall that once stood in southeastern Oklahoma 35 years ago. But Janie Dillard does.

“We built high-stakes bingo,” Dillard said, basically because that’s all the tribe could afford. Eventually, it started to dabble in casino gaming.

A lot has changed since then for that bingo hall. After 35 years of gaming, Choctaw Casinos and Resorts is celebrating its anniversary in southeastern Oklahoma. This month, Choctaw gave away $2 million in cash and offered a special anniversary hotel rate. The casino also hosted bowling and bingo, a nod to its beginnings.

Dillard began working for the tribe in 1982.