As reported in the June 11 edition of the Seminole Producer, plans for a large-scale casino/ resort at I-40 and Highway 99 have been scrapped. The Producer has since obtained additional information about the events surrounding the sudden reversal of plans.

Last Saturday, June 6, the General Council of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma (SNO) voted to rescind resolution TR 2023-56, dating from August 26, 2023 that designated Maple Leaf Gaming (MLG) as the preferred candidate to be the Nation’s first ever thirdparty Gaming Consultant.

That effectively brought to an end any partnership between Maple Leaf and the Seminole Nation and was the culmination of a near three-year effort by MLG to build a large-scale resort at the intersection of I-40 and 99.

In November 2023, ten members of the Maple Leaf team travelled to Wewoka and met with Chief Lewis J. Johnson, SNO Program Developer Jason Chambers and then Chair of Seminole Nation Gaming Enterprise (SNGE) Robin Miller. At that meeting Maple Leaf introduced a proposal to build an expansive $1 billion resort surrounding the Nation’s I-40 casino. Shortly thereafter, Maple Leaf was notified that the Nation planned to create an RFP (Request for Proposals), allowing other companies to submit competitive bids.

After the RFP was launched on March 15, 2023, SNGE received Maple Leaf’s submission, along with submissions from 10 other applicants. The RFP requested that all applicants begin with a consulting agreement, before segueing to a management agreement.

At an August 12, 2023, General Council Meeting, the three leading RFP respondents, including Maple Leaf, presented their propositions. A follow-up meeting was called on August 26, where finalists addressed remaining questions posed by Council representatives. At the conclusion of that General Council meeting a vote was taken. Maple Leaf earned 16 positive votes, the second company, Warner Group, earned three and the third group got one vote. The General Council Resolution, referenced above, was passed, directing SNGE to “enter into a contract to engage the services of MLG as a third-party consultant with regard to gaming activities.”

A mutually approved SNGE, MLG consulting agreement was drafted by November 2023 but was not submitted by SNGE to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) until February 2024. MLG and SNGE then had several rounds of comments from the NIGC, which, according to the developer, were promptly responded to by MLG, with protracted delays on the part of SNGE.

MLG proceeded to advance the project, and organized one of the largest Capstone Projects ever undertaken by the University of Oklahoma where 35 students and their professors from the departments of Civil Engineering & Environmental Science (CEES) and Landscape Architecture toured the Seminole Nation Museum and made six site visits to the proposed property over the winter months to take soil and water samples, study infrastructure, energy and water resource needs, and create master plans the resort. The Capstone culminated with a public presentation of OU students’ work at Seminole State College on April 29, 2025, attended by Seminole Nation tribal members.

“Despite this progress, MLG was puzzled by apparent systematic delays on the part of SNGE. In fact, at that recent June 6 General Council meeting, I recounted seeing consulting agreements of this kind drafted, submitted and approved by the NIGC within six months, while the current process had lasted almost two years with still no final submission to the NIGC,” said K.C. Schulberg, Chairman of Maple Leaf Resorts Oklahoma. “To this day, MLG does not know the reasons for the recurring delays or why the Resolution was abruptly repealed.”

The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, as of press time, has not responded with official comment.

“I regret we were not able to realize this $1 billion resort that would have provided 10,000 jobs and transformational economic uplift not only for the Seminole Nation, but for the community of Seminole, and all of eastern Oklahoma. However, Maple Leaf respects the decision of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma General Council and wishes the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma well, as they continue their journey towards a more prosperous and sustainable future. Perhaps after the upcoming election, the Nation may wish to revisit a proposed partnership and revive the project,” Schulberg added.

Schulberg, who moved to Seminole in October of 2023 to shepherd this project forward, says he plans to remain local until September, at which time he will relocate out of state to pursue Maple Leaf’s other resort projects.