Pine Bluff’s citizens often look back on its colorful history for sources of pride, but Saracen Casino Resort Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa offered another method to promote the city’s growth: Look to the future.
Speaking at a sold-out Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon Wednesday, Saffa reported Saracen has invested nearly $400 million in the community since its 2020 opening and employs 800 workers. The casino is also in the midst of building its hotel and event center, expected to open by the fall of this year. If progress on construction continues as it has, Saffa expects an earlier open date.
The attraction to Saracen gives its visitors a reason to take a second look at Pine Bluff rather than just come for the games and other activities, according to Saffa.
“We knew with a property of this scale and this scope, we would draw in people from all over the region and do so on a daily basis,” Saffa said during his speech at the UAPB Business Support Incubator.
“They’re about to stay the night. And, so, my message is, ‘Let’s do it together.’ We’ll get them into town and invest millions into the community, not just through the tax dollars that go to the city and the county, but also building a workforce that lives here, which means better homes, better lives, and you know that money that ends up at Smart (dealership) for a better car, Trotter for a new car, or wherever it may be to be reinvested,” Saffa said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Saracen’s success is viewed as a beacon of hope in a city that has lost nearly half of its population from 40 years ago and, as Saffa noted, is not seen as a tourist destination like Hot Springs or any of the fast-growing cities in Northwest Arkansas. Southeast Arkansas’ casino has managed to keep pace in marketing with the longer-established Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs and Southland Casino in West Memphis, the latter at the site of an old greyhound park.
For points of pride, Saffa referred to Saracen’s poker room being the only one in an Arkansas casino and Bet Saracen as the 13th-largest online betting sports book in the nation. The casino also draws 1 million visitors per year and is licensed to sell Japanese beef steak, he said.
“Some of the people who don’t expect us to succeed – some of the worst offenders – are people who are some of the biggest cheerleaders in Pine Bluff,” Saffa said. “You need to expect what you need to expect, and you need to expect to win. If you don’t shoot for the moon, you’re not going to hit it. The biggest detractors are, oftentimes, ourselves. How are we doing? Just fine.”
Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers and Saffa agree Saracen’s addition of a hotel and event center does not clash with the city’s investment in a Courtyard by Marriott to be built next to the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
“I think those two entities will serve an overlapping purpose and focus and I think they will serve different areas of focus where one can’t do what the other can,” Flowers said. “One will have an event center but not an arena that can accommodate sports events. Some families are not amenable to gambling. A lot of government entities will not allow you to stay at a resort, let alone casino resorts. That is where our convention center will attend to the needs of some of our visitors.
“We don’t look at Fort Smith or Little Rock or anyone in Northwest Arkansas for sure and operate from the perspective that there can be only one convention center. Why in the world would we think or say we only need one? When you have both hotels up and running, I think you’ll see more swim meets at the Aquatic Center, and you’ll see more HBCU activities at UAPB because we’ll have more rooms. People will have a choice. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
When asked whether Saracen would invest in the city outside of its own walls, Saffa responded: “The answer is never ‘no.'” His job, he said, is ultimately to do the best job for the Quapaw Nation, which owns the casino.
“Everything is an option. I’ve got to do due diligence on everything,” Saffa said. “If you said, ‘Hey, y’all need to think about building a hamburger joint,’ I’ve got to look at it. Every opportunity, every option, everything that comes in … The answer is always ‘yes.’ Everything is on the table.”
Flowers said her vision for Saracen’s investment away from the casino resort doesn’t have as much to do with property.
“One thing we see with the some of the older entities is philanthropic structures,” Flowers said. “That’s something we talked about a long time ago, but they needed to get in a solid place and complete all the construction they wanted to. I have a really good rapport with Carlton, and I feel that at some point, when they get on all of their feet including the convention center and hotel, we will see themselves stand up a philanthropic arm that will focus on giving back in the community, particularly in education. That’s something they committed to a long time ago. I think they’ve done some of that since then.”
Saracen has zeroed in on bolstering security and helping other entities across southeast Arkansas do the same the past two days. Saffa said Saracen hosted a workplace and school violence seminar with members of law enforcement and school/business at its training center on Harding Avenue. The National Tactical Officers Association are teaching courses on how to prevent acts of mass violence.
The next monthly chamber luncheon is Feb. 5, with Watson Chapel School District Superintendent Keith McGee delivering the keynote.