Published on: November 14, 2024, 04:59h.
Last updated on: November 14, 2024, 04:59h.
A Mississippi travel plaza set to open next month will not only offer fuel and convenience items but also slot machines and sports betting.
Choctaw Resort Development Enterprise (CRDE), a subsidiary of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, announced this week that its Crystal Sky Travel Plaza will open on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 11 am. The gas station and gaming facility is located in Winston County along S. Church Ave. at Railroad Ave in Louisville.
Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben expressed gratitude as the travel plaza gets ready to open. “Crystal Sky will not only serve travelers passing through but will also uplift the Louisville and Winston County area and honor the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians,” he said.
The $25 million, 18,000-square-foot facility will operate 24 hours a day and offer guests 150 slot machines and a sportsbook lounge. In addition to the gaming area, there will be a restaurant, 3,000 square feet of retail space, and fueling stations for both commercial and passenger vehicles.
Expansion of Tribal Gaming
The Mississippi Choctaws own and operate three tribal casinos in the state offering Las Vegas-style games.
The tribe’s Pear River Resort in Philadelphia is home to the Silver Star and Golden Moon casinos. The Choctaws additionally run the Bok Homa Casino in Heidelberg. Combined, the casinos offer over 3,000 slot machines and 70 live dealer table games, plus sports betting.
The Choctaw economic portfolio also includes the Dancing Rabbit Inn and Dancing Rabbit Golf Club.
The tribe’s travel plaza extends its reach north some 20 miles from where the bulk of its sovereign land and properties are located. Crystal Sky is being built on off-reservation trust land, which allows the Choctaw Indians to lend its Class III gaming compact with the State of Mississippi to operate slot machines and sports betting at the site.
Gaming tribes are increasingly setting up travel plazas. In February, Florida’s Miccosukee Tribe inaugurated a travel plaza with 150 gaming machines. Known as the Little Trail Casino, the travel stop is situated in the Everglades off Interstate 75, also called Alligator Alley.
Unlike the Mississippi Choctaws, the Miccosukees do not have a Class III gaming compact with Florida. Therefore, their gaming machines are bingo-based electronic terminals.
While a traditional slot determines wins or losses using a random number generator for each spin, an electronic bingo machine pools machines together to determine the outcome. To learn more about these differences, visit our website.
Significance of the Name
Louisville, where Crystal Sky will be located, is named after Louis Winston (1784-1824), a colonel in the militia and a member of the Mississippi Supreme Court. The town has a population of about 6,000 people, with the closest major city being Jackson, MS, around 80 air miles southwest.
The Choctaw Indians asked tribal members to suggest a name for the upcoming travel stop in Louisville. Out of 258 entries received, “Crystal Sky” was chosen as the winner by the Tribal Council and CRDE Board.
The name “Crystal Sky” is a tribute to the nearby tribal community in Winston County known as Crystal Ridge.
The travel plaza is expected to be a symbol of hospitality, convenience, and cultural pride for travelers passing through the Louisville area,” said a tribal statement.
Tribal member Dachelle E. of Louisville suggested the winning name and was rewarded with a $500 cash prize for her submission.