The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) is celebrating 27 years of its existence. Since 1993, SIGA has gone a long way toward achieving its goals. The authority now employs around 2,000 citizens of Saskatchewan, with a large percentage made up of people of the First Nation. SIGA, as a non-profit organization, also gives 100% of its net income back to its communities, which helps meet the objective of supporting itself financially.
SIGA runs a total of seven casinos across Saskatchewan: the Bear Claw Casino located North of Carlyle, the Dakota Dunes Casino in the South of Saskatoon, the Gold Eagle Casino in North Battleford, the Gold Horse Casino in Lloydminster, the Living Sky Casino situated in Swift Current, the Northern Lights Casino in Prince Albert, and the Painted Hand Casino in Yorkton.
The casinos reflect First Nation culture and hospitality, while also taking inspiration from Las Vegas casinos. Vegas is the inspiration for modern casinos around the world and Saskatchewan is no exception to this.
The Vegas Influence
The casino model provided by Las Vegas has also been adopted by online casinos, which use Las Vegas themes to attract players. In addition, another tactic used by successful online casinos such as Jackpot City Casino is competitive promotional offers such as tempting players to join by offering no deposit free spins. For example, you can test out online slots such as Agent Jane Blonde Returns or Break da Bank Again and see how much you can win with your spins without even having to use your own money. Incentivized by the promotion, many casual gamblers are likely to respond favorably to the casino and are more inclined to return in the future.
It’s clear that between the allure of the Vegas theme and the eye-catching promotions available, gamblers have plenty to gain from giving online casinos a go. However, moving on from online casinos, let’s take a look at two of the jewels amongst the casinos operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority and how they manage to combine First Nation culture with the bright lights of Las Vegas:
Living Sky Casino
Although Saskatchewan is 2895 miles away from Las Vegas, the influence of the gambling capital of the world can still be felt in Canada’s Breadbasket. The Living Sky Casino, which opened in 2008 and is located in southwest Saskatchewan, has more than just a hint of Las Vegas. The establishment offers visitors casino games over 60,000 square feet and was conceived by the architects Thalden/Boyd of Las Vegas, Nevada, who designed casinos in the gambling capital of the world, including the Venetian Casino, Hotel & Resort.
And the similarities with Vegas do not end there, the Vegas-style progressive jackpot Smoke Signals is linked to slot machines in all seven SIGA casinos.
The Bear Claw Casino
The Bear Claw Casino boasts possibly the most impressive location of all casinos in Saskatchewan, with our province offering so many opportunities to enjoy nature. Located in the picturesque Moose Mountains and close to White Bear Lake, the casino opened in 1993 and will celebrate its 30-year anniversary next year. Tourists from North America are drawn to the region for its breathtaking views.
As the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) celebrates 27 years since it was first established, the authority has gone a long way to achieving its stated goals of creating employment for the people of the First Nation; generating revenue for its communities; and supporting these communities through economic development projects.
