By Lori Carlson

Editor

A brand-new Little Six Casino will open this Friday, Dec. 14 on
the site of the original Little Six, across the parking lot from the current “Tipi”
location.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community built the new, larger
casino to give guests “a better gaming experience than the current facility
could offer,” said Chairman Stanley Crooks.

The tribe wanted to move Little Six back to the site of its
first casino, also called Little Six, which opened in 1989 and preceded the
highly successful Mystic Lake Casino.

The previous Little Six Casino building closed at midnight on Dec. 9. The Tipi restaurant will
remain open to the public at its existing location.

The new Little Six will have its own restaurant, open from 7 a.m. to midnight
Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday and Saturday. The new restaurant will be open only to those 18 and up.

The new casino will feature improved air quality, wider aisles,
higher ceilings and better parking, said Tom Polusny, the casino’s general
manager.

Though Mystic Lake
continues to draw crowds, many guests like the smaller setting of Little Six,
Vice Chairman Glynn Crooks said in March, when the tribe announced plans for the
new building.

The tribe does not reveal the cost of its construction projects.

Tribal Administrator Bill Rudnicki said the new Little Six
probably will result in the creation of some new jobs, but he doesn’t expect a
major staffing increase.

The SMSC is Scott
County’s largest employer, with
about 4,200 employees in its gaming and non-gaming enterprises.

Lori Carlson can be
reached at (952) 345-6378 or editor@plamerican.com.