Sports Betting In Choctaw
Unlike many other states (even those in surrounding areas), Mississippi only has two tribal casinos: the Silver Star and the Golden Moon. These two facilities, both located at the Pearl River Resort, make ideal locations for sportsbooks. Sports betting in Choctaw has added to the successful fortunes of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the sole federally recognized Native American tribe in the Magnolia State. The tribe’s Pearl River Resort is without a doubt one of the state’s premier tourist destinations, and for good reason: the central Mississippi resort features not just a massive gaming space but also plenty of fine dining options, a championship-tier golf course, and even a water park, all on the same grounds.
However, not every visitor to the Pearl River Resort will know all the ins and outs of sports betting in Choctaw, so we thought it wise to put together this quick but comprehensive guide to the casinos where you can enjoy wagering on your favorite teams and sporting events. Here, we’ll take a brief look at the history of Choctaw and give a breakdown of some of our favorite things to do at Choctaw casinos with sports betting. Our aim is to get you fully prepared for your trip to the Pearl River Resort so you can get in on the action of sports betting in Choctaw without missing out on any of the other entertaining events and options the area provides.
A Brief History Of Choctaw, Mississippi
Choctaw is technically not a town at all, but rather an unincorporated community and Indian reservation located about 5-6 miles from the much larger town of Philadelphia, MS (which is also located just off Mississippi Highway 16). Choctaw, as you can probably tell by its name, is home to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. (Note: There are actually two communities in Mississippi that go by the name of Choctaw – there is the one in Bolivar County, which is clear on the other side of the state, and then there is the one in Neshoba County. The latter is the one to which we are referring in this guide to sports betting in Choctaw.)
Though the history of the Choctaw people goes back hundreds of years in what is now the eastern United States, the part that concerns the future of sports betting in Mississippi happened only within the last few decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, when the Seminole Tribe of South Florida opened the nation’s first tribal casino, the Mississippi Choctaw – sensing the potential to draw visitors from surrounding states and from all over Mississippi due to the Choctaw reservation’s central location – began making plans to open its own resort and casino, and the Pearl River Resort was born.
The hotel and resort, which opened in the early 1990s, added a casino – the Silver Star – in 1994, and another one – the Golden Moon – in 2002, following the 1992 decision by Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice (R) to allow the Choctaw to develop Class III casino gaming. Indeed, the casinos constructed on tribal land in Mississippi were the first casinos in the state that were not required to be “floating” casinos like the semi-permanent barge-type gambling establishments in Biloxi and along the Gulf Coast.
Choctaw Casinos That Offer Legal Sportsbooks
As we mentioned previously in this exclusive guide to sports betting in Choctaw, there are only two Choctaw casinos that offer legal sportsbooks for sports betting in Mississippii. However, both the Silver Star and the Golden Moon are truly top-flight gaming centers that offer a lot of value and plenty of excitement for gambling enthusiasts as well as vacationers of all ages and interests. As you can see from the list below, either of these casinos would make a fine choice for your next visit to the Hospitality State, as they both meet all the requirements of 21st century casinos while having a wide variety of amenities that other resorts in the state have a hard time matching.
- http://www.pearlriverresort.com/our-resort/silver-star-en.html
- Address: Highway 16 West,
Choctaw, MS 39350 - Phone: 1-866-447-3275
Silver Star Hotel & Casino
The Silver Star Casino is the larger of the two sister casinos located at the Pearl River Resort, and its 90,000-square-foot gaming floor features over 1200 slot machines (both reel and video), 40-plus table games (including craps, blackjack, roulette, and other classics), and even a dedicated Keno section. The hotel at the Silver Star features over 500 luxury rooms of different sizes, three whirlpool spas, and a large outdoor swimming pool and deck area.
Because the Pearl River Resort centralizes most amenities – like restaurants, hotel access, and so on – between the two on-site casinos, neither casino stands out as being better or more comprehensive than the other. That said, the facility’s poker room and sports betting lounge are located in the Golden Moon, making the Silver Star more of a destination for traditional casino players.
- http://www.pearlriverresort.com/our-resort/golden-moon-en.html
- Address:Highway 16 West,
Choctaw, MS 39350 - Phone: 1-866-44PEARL
Golden Moon Hotel & Casino
The Golden Moon Hotel and Casino is a newer but slightly more intimate venue than its sister Silver Star property, housing some 1150 slot machines and 25 table games of varying types. However, the Golden Moon has a 14-table poker room – called the Pearl River Poker Room – that is open 24/7 and offers several different poker variants for both single-game and tournament play. Texas Hold ‘Em is on hand as always, and other great poker variants like Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, and No-Limit Hold ‘Em are available, as well. Several times a year, the Pearl River Poker Room hosts a “$50,000 Guaranteed” tournament, where inexpensive buyouts yield huge payouts to the winner. The hotel at the Golden Moon offers up over 600 world-class rooms and suites, with access to both an indoor and outdoor pool, the latter replete with cabanas, nearby slot machines, and a deck-side bar.
Additionally, the Golden Moon has a huge video wall and the Sportsbook at Timeout Lounge, which is the Pearl River’s new sports betting venue. The Sportsbook at Timeout Lounge offers 20 TVs on which to watch all the day’s biggest games, 12 robust odds boards with wagering terminals built in, and three ticket windows to place in-person bets. A full bar offering food and drinks is also on-site for both bettors and spectators.
- http://www.bokhomacasino.com/
- Address: 1 Choctaw Rd, Heidelberg, MS 39439
- Phone: 866-447-3275
Bok Homa Casino
The Bok Homa Casino is not located on the premises of the Pearl River Resort, so it can be considered a kind of satellite venue for the Choctaw tribe. The Bok Homa is located about 80 miles south of the Pearl River Resort, situated in a small municipality called Sandersville. The facility is not a resort-style destination, instead catering to daytime and evening visitors, most of whom are area locals. The Bok Homa sportsbook is up and running, featuring 13 HDTV displays, an odds wall, and a wager station where patrons can place in-person bets. The venue also supports the Choctaw’s PRRSPORTS app, which also works at the two flagship Pearl River destinations described above.
Top Mississippi Sports Betting Sites
Other Things To Do At Choctaw Casinos With Sports Betting
We know most visitors to the tribal reservation in Mississippi will be there for the chance to gamble at the elite facilities on offer, or perhaps to enjoy some sports betting in Choctaw now that the activity has become more widely-legal in the state and around the country. However, for those vacationers looking for things to do at Choctaw casinos with sports betting when you aren’t putting up some real money on a chance to win big or are waiting on your sportsbook payout, we have got some great news. The Silver Star and the Golden Moon casinos (both of which are located across the road from one another at the Pearl River Resort) really go the extra mile when it comes to the activities and recreational opportunities that many other resorts around the state – and indeed around the entire country – simply have a difficult time competing with.
On hand, there are the fun outdoor activities for guests to participate in. You can enjoy a full round of golf at the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club and its two par-72 courses, the Azaleas and the Oaks. These two courses, which constitute fully 700 acres of greens and fairways situated amongst the tall pine trees of the rolling central Mississippi Hills, were designed by prominent PGA figures such as course engineer Tom Fazio and player Jerry Pate. Additionally, guests with families will no doubt enjoy spending a hot summer’s day at the Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, a sprawling 23-acre water park with dozens of slides, wave pools, a winding lazy river, and activity centers for even the littlest enthusiasts of sports betting in Choctaw. Additionally, the reservation is home to Lake Pushmataha, which is a nearly 300-acre fishing and recreation reservoir, offering loads of freshwater activities to all casino guests, including boating, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, and more.
Tired of betting on sports all day or playing cards late into the night? Then the Pearl River Resort’s fantastic spa and salon should be right up your alley. You can have a steam bath, enjoy a visit to the sauna, take a dip in the outdoor or indoor pool, or, conversely, work up a sweat at the well-stocked fitness center, replete with free weights, machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, and other cardio equipment.
Shopping opportunities abound while you wait to enjoy some more sports betting in Choctaw, thanks to the presence of several boutiques like Bonnie’s (which caters to the most discerning female guests of the Pearl River Resorts) and Stogies & Bogeys (for the gentleman who appreciates his fine cigars and vaping accessories). If you just need to pick up a few things, you can always grab what you need from the Silver Star Logo Shop or the Provisions sundry store located near the hotel elevators at the Golden Moon casino.
As for dining and shows, the Pearl River Resorts in Choctaw do not disappoint. That’s because Phillip M’s – named for Mississippi Choctaw leader Phillip Martin – is widely considered to be one of the South’s very finest fine dining restaurants. There is enough on the menu to satisfy even the most discerning palate or the most famished appetite, and the board of fare features everything from award-winning wines to a massive steak selection, the freshest seafood straight from the Gulf of Mexico and, of course, the best desserts you will find anywhere in the region.
Naturally, there are plenty of local events and attractions to participate in, like those on tap at the Chahta Immi Cultural Center, Lake Pushmataha, the Choctaw Indian Fair, and many others. It’s all worth your time when you are in town for some sports betting in Choctaw, so don’t miss a minute of the excitement!