In 2008, reporters and photographers were lined up to take pictures of the Quapaw Nation’s new Downstream Casino in far northeastern Oklahoma. According to an article published in The Joplin Globe, the 7000,000-foot space was a marvel for its opulence, attention to detail, restaurants and 2,000 slot machines. The price tag: $301 million dollars.
But as of December 2021, the Quapaw Nation has paid down little of that debt because they were making interest-only payments amounting to $55,000 a day. That’s the price of a home in Ottawa County, where the casino is located.
A new deal between the Downstream Development Authority and the Bank of Oklahoma will allow Quapaw Nation to refinance that debt to pay down the initial loan and cut their interest rate.
