Gridiron Sports Bar is planning for the future.
Leaders of the Muscogee Nation and River Spirit Casino Resort held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to celebrate the $17.5 million capital investment that, among other things, is preparing for the day sports betting may become legal in Oklahoma.
The River Spirit Casino Resort’s new sports viewing area has a 53-foot by 14-foot high-resolution LED video wall, 54 televisions, and 104 speakers.
The bar will offer seating for 157 guests, a 27-seat center bar featuring mounted televisions and bar top gaming, a new kitchen and menu, and two Top Golf digital bays for simulated golf and other sports.
Pat Crofts, CEO of Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises, said the possibility of sports betting influenced some design decisions. The TVs will display the odds before the games start, the cashier room will be ready and the bar area will become a sports betting lounge.
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“We are more than ready,” Crofts said. “It’s going to take the Legislature and all of the tribes to get on the same page. It’s hard to get everybody on the same page. Almost every state has done it differently.”
Sports betting is legal in 38 states. In 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt proposed House Bill 1027, which would have legalized sports betting in Oklahoma. The bill did not pass the state Senate, and Oklahoma residents can only play daily fantasy sports for money through websites like FanDuel and DraftKings.
Andy Langston, the chief operating officer for Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises, said the relationship between Stitt and the tribes is slowing down something inevitable. Langston said the conversation about sports betting increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as the conversation about creating the sports bar area started.
The buffet area at the casino was shuttered in 2020 after onset of the pandemic and the space had remained vacant.
“This is all in preparation for when it happens,” Langston said. “It’s inevitable at some point, but we don’t know when.”
Joe Jordan is a representative for I-95 Design Build, the lead architectural design firm responsible for the project’s design and construction. Jordan said the design process was thorough and well-thought-out.
“It should be somewhat of a flip the switch,” Jordan said. “This is the only place that is ready to just go. The future cashier area was planned out, designed and built and it’s ready to roll out.”
Jack Schaid has been gambling at River Spirits for several years and said the new sports bar is a unique feature for Tulsa. The number of screens reminds Schaid of Las Vegas and he is excited to support the new place while he waits for sports betting to become legal.
“I am a fan of DraftKings, and I hope it’s just a matter of time for sports betting to become legal,” Schaid said. “I will come here, bet on a game, watch it on the television, eat and drink because I am probably not winning.”
The Gridiron Sports Bar will be open Monday through Friday between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m.