Economic Development

 Our president, Anthony Reider is our Economic Development leader, his vision has lead our investments beyond our community in an effort to expand our investment portfolio, directing resources that have a vital impact on our nation. 

History

In the beginning we started out small, selling cigarettes from an old trailer home located not too far from our present day Administration building. A motel was added as well as our first convenience store called the First American Mart. Durmg the late 1980's we began to explore our options of starting a gaming facility. In 1990, that dream became a reality with the opening of Royal River Casino, located in a building dedicated to printing press at one time. The success of our casino catapulted our nation in a new direction and providing not only economic success for our nation but boosting many of our members out of poverty. 

Success

The success gaming brought to our nation allowed for buying back acres of land that once belong to us but lost over the years. Investment in land purchases and the transfer of our purchased land into Trust status, allowed for a brief venture into agriculture and eventually owning our own buffalo herd. Today, we have expanded our investment portfolio to include a housing development in nearby Sioux Falls, SD, retail shops, Blue  Ammonia in West Virginia, and cannabis operations in the state of New York as well as at home. We continue to expand our portfolio by investing in our infrastructure. We are forever changing and growing, while improving the lives of our membership.

Request for Proposals

Below you will find our Request for Proposals for upcoming projects. If you are interested please click on one of the links below and submit your proposal.

Royal River Casino & Hotel

Prior to the opening of our first gaming facility, we owned and operated a small bingo hall located in Eastman Hall. In 1988, with the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, we become the first Native American tribe to expand our Class II gaming operation to a Class III operation that included Slots and Table Games. In 1990, after years of negotiating with state and federal regulatory authorities, we opened Royal River Casino in a newly renovated building that was originally designed to house an outdated printing press. We opened the doors with just 250 gaming devices, of which included 8 Blackjack Tables and a three poker tables. A full service restaurant was incorporated into the design as well as a bar to serve our guests. In 1997, we opened our new entertainment facility that included a 60 room Hotel, a Bingo Hall and an Entertainment Venue. Another expansion in the early 2000's added an RV Park as well as another 60 room Hotel.

Convenience Stores

We started with a small convenience store during the 1980's. Once our new casino was complete, we built a new convenience store just south of our new entertainment complex, and eventually expanded our portfolio with the purchase of the Prairie Junction Truck Station located on Interstate I-29 at the Madison / Colman exit.

Cannabis

Cannabis legislation changed in South Dakota during July 2021, at which we opened our doors of our medical dispensary, Native Nations LLC. Since then we have expanded our expertise to assist other native nations explore, develop and operate their own dispensaries. We have also expanded our opportunities to the state of New York under the name of Native Nations New York, where we plan to process and distribute cannabis to state run dispensaries in accordance with their regulations and laws.