Mystic Lake Casino Hotel facts for kids
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is a large resort located in Prior Lake, Minnesota. It is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), a Native American tribe. This big resort is found southwest of the major cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, along with Little Six Casino, is the biggest employer in Scott County, providing jobs for many people. The resort offers various games, places to eat, live shows, special events, and comfortable hotel rooms.
History of Mystic Lake
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is owned and run by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC). This community is a Native American tribe that the United States government officially recognizes.
The SMSC first opened a bingo hall called Little Six Bingo in 1982. Later, in 1990, it became Little Six Casino. This happened after a law called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed in 1988. This law helped Native American tribes create agreements with states for gaming activities. The SMSC and other tribes in Minnesota were among the first in the country to make these special agreements, called tribal-state compacts, with their state government.
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel first opened its doors on May 12, 1992. It was named after a nearby lake. The success of Mystic Lake has been very important for the SMSC. It has helped the tribe fund many of its goals. These goals include growing their economy in different ways. It also helps improve important services and buildings for the tribe. This support has continued from the 1990s until today.
In 2012, the SMSC started a 10-year agreement with Canterbury Park. Canterbury Park is a horse racing track in nearby Shakopee. This agreement helped to offer bigger prizes for horse races. It also created chances for Canterbury Park and Mystic Lake to work together on marketing. In 2013, the first full racing season under this agreement happened. Canterbury Park had its longest racing season since 2006. The money given to horse owners was twice as much as in 2011.
In 2018, the Mystic Lake Center opened. This was a new addition to the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. It is a large space, about 70,000 square feet, for meetings and events. It can host many different kinds of groups and events. These include business meetings, holiday parties, conferences, and even weddings. The Mystic Lake Center has a tall, nine-story hotel tower with 180 rooms. It also has three large ballrooms that can be set up in different ways. There are also several smaller meeting rooms and a special executive conference room. The center has lots of natural light and great views of the golf course.
With 766 hotel rooms, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is one of the biggest hotels in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area.
Awards and Recognition
The SMSC Gaming Enterprise includes both Mystic Lake and Little Six. This group received a "Best Places to Work" award. This award came from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Business Journal in both 2012 and 2013. They also won a "Top 100 Workplaces" award. This award was given by the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper in 2013.
