Ryan Lochhead
From left, Darren Woodson, Troy Aikman, Pudge Rodriguez, and Emmitt Smith.
Given an opportunity to see new things and take in some pleasures forbidden in Texas — like, say, craps or blackjack — I accepted an invitation recently to visit the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
The Choctaw Casino & Resort, a mere 120 miles from the site of Ripley Arnold’s U.S. Army fort, is not a Luke Short operation or any other relic of what once populated the Acre.
On this day, they would be, I was told, demonstrating their devotion to the fertile ground of North Texas, where there is plenty of water — that is, people — to sustain a thriving gaming operation for years to come.
Specifically, officials there were shooting a commercial featuring four of the ultimate influencers in Dallas-Fort Worth — Dallas Cowboys legends Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Darren Woodson, along with Texas Rangers icon Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. The commercial was the first to feature all four. Each had already done one individually.
Not even perhaps the giants of the Alamo or San Jacinto can compare with those guys these days. My payoff that day would be a visit with each of these ambassadors who bear witness to the Choctaw’s mission of having fun.
It's part of Choctaw Casino & Resort’s “Where the Players Play” campaign and the continuation of a much wider engagement with North Texas and the more than eight million — and counting — who reside here, including more than one million in Fort Worth and 2.2 million in Tarrant County.
Those four are among Choctaw’s more than 25 sports related partnerships across Fort Worth and Dallas, including the Rangers’ rebranded Choctaw Stadium, home of the major-league baseball franchise from 1994-2019.
Choctaw also has official and exclusive partnerships with the Rangers, Dickies Arena, and the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Most recently, golf fans noticed the Choctaw presence at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country. The Choctaw Club Village, a new triple decker hospitality venue overlooking the No. 10 fairway and No. 18 green, debuted to rave reviews from patrons, who were treated to free-to-play table games. It was as close to Caesar’s Palace as you’ll ever see on the 10th fairway at Colonial.
It's a massive investment in chips, all aimed at cultivating a willing population that, for the foreseeable future, will have to leave the state of Texas to satisfy its appetite for gaming and competition, as Texas legislative leaders remain unwilling to loosen restrictions on casino gambling or embrace a more progressive economic pragmatism.
In the meantime, Choctaw is betting on brand affinity: if they tell North Texas about Choctaw, North Texas will come to Choctaw.
Once upon a time, the bridge between Denison — Eisenhower's birthplace — and Durant sparked controversy. Texas Gov. Ross Sterling ordered it closed; Oklahoma Gov. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray ordered it opened by executive decree. The dispute centered on obligations to a private company operating an old toll bridge.
Today, that same bridge symbolizes the gap between Texas restraint and Oklahoma permissiveness. And there’s a lot of traffic on it.
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“The exact strategy was to endear ourselves to Texas Legends,” said Erica Kosemund, Choctaw’s chief brand officer. “They love working with us, and we love working with them.”
As far as specifically Fort Worth, Kosemund said, “Our tribe loves the Western heritage and the Western way of life, and, so, that's a perfect fit for us.”
The ad featuring all four should be in full circulation any day.
The ad shows Emmitt calling everyone together for a night out. Woodson thinks they’re bowling. Aikman’s expecting a concert. Pudge comes ready to swim. Emmitt, exasperated, insists dinner comes first so they can regroup.
And … cut. It’s a clever bit of direction. And these guys are coachable.
“Being a good football player, you’ve got to be coachable,” Woodson said. “We don’t know what we’re doing, but they’ve been great at guiding us.”
Spoiler alert: Pudge stole the show.
“He has some natural chops,” said Woodson. “I had no idea he was such a great actor.”
Pudge is also a natural ambassador. He’s made for the Nobel Peace Prize. If they sent him to Eastern Europe, he'd resolve the conflict faster than the Russians could get a drone in the air. Pudge has a number of business interests, including “a big project” in his native Puerto Rico involving converting waste into biofuel, a type of renewable energy made from organic materials — such as plants, algae, or animal waste.
“Puerto Rico needs that,” Pudge said. “I don't know if you know the problem.”
I didn’t know the scope, until he told me. If you want, Pudge will talk to you for an hour. Meeting people and shaking hands with fans or customers is a natural for Pudge. The relationship with Choctaw feels anything but like a brand deal.
“I never say no,” Pudge said with a grin about meeting fans. “These are the same people who watched me play. I’ll stand up in a restaurant for a photo — no problem.” He paused. “Texas has always loved me — and I love them right back.”
Aikman, the closest to Choctaw geographically, grew up in Henryetta, Oklahoma. Aikman’s years as a Henryetta Hen are well-documented. Hugh Henry is the one who discovered coal in the creeks up there in the late 1800s. That land belonged to the Creek Nation. “The people here have been the kindest and most accommodating,” he said. “It’s one of the best relationships I’ve had as a spokesman.”
The Choctaw complex began as a bingo hall in 1987. After Oklahoma, which has also legalized medical cannabis, expanded tribal gaming in 2004, Choctaw Casino & Resort opened in 2006 and has since expanded five times. Today, it features 1,600 hotel rooms, 20 restaurants, 21 bars, and 7,400 slot machines.
Nationwide, tribal gaming contributed about $329 million to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association. The industry supported 1.8 million jobs and $104 billion in wages and salaries. Moreover, it generated $53 billion in tax revenue to federal, state, and local governments.
In Oklahoma alone, the economic impact was $12.2 billion economic impact, with more than 85,000 jobs supported and $3.2 billion in Class III gaming revenue in 2022. Each tribe pays the state an exclusivity fee in exchange for exclusive rights to offer certain types of gaming. That’s typically Class III gaming, such as slot machines, blackjack, and other table games. Those fees have grown year-over-year every year with two exceptions — 2014 and 2020.
As for what Texas is doing, the Choctaws remain passionately neutral.
“We obviously pay close attention,” Kosemund said. “But currently, it doesn’t look like there’s a lot of movement. So, we support what the legislation supports.”
The odds indeed still appear long at this point, so long as the spirit of the Rev. J. Frank Norris lingers in the soul of political leadership.
In the meantime, Choctaw has four sports legends in its corner.
They’re all honorary Choctaw.
