Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant grew in steps, and one step was far bigger than the rest. When the Sky Casino opened at 10am on Thursday 5 August 2021, followed by the Sky Tower hotel the next day, the Choctaw Nation added 3,300 slot machines, 40 table games and a 30-table poker room to the property in a single opening. Today the resort lists more than 7,400 machines, so close to half of everything on the floor arrived with that one build. If you have not been since before 2021, you have not really seen the place.
The resort in numbers
| Address | 4216 S. Hwy 69/75, Durant |
| Operator | Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma |
| Opened | 2006; Sky Tower expansion August 2021 |
| Machines | More than 7,400 |
| Tables | More than 100, all nonsmoking |
| Poker room | More than 30 tables, in the Sky Casino |
| Hotel | 1,700 rooms, AAA Four Diamond; the Sky Tower alone has 1,000 |
| Dining | 20 restaurants and bars |
| Hours | Open 24 hours, daily |
| Minimum age | 18 to wager; under-18s are not allowed on the gaming floor even with an adult |
What the 2021 build changed
The expansion was the fourth major upgrade since the resort first opened in 2006. The 21-storey Sky Tower is two curved towers meeting at the US-75 edge of the site, and the resort says it is visible from about five miles out on the highway. Alongside the 1,000 rooms came six restaurants, eleven bars and lounges, two movie theaters and Aqua, a three-acre pool complex with one family pool (with a water slide) and one adults-only pool.
The more useful change for a player is the smoking split. The Sky Casino was opened smoke-free, and the resort now says it holds more than 3,200 slots and table games in that nonsmoking area. Every table on the property is listed as nonsmoking. So if you want to play a slot without smoke drifting over from the next bank, head south through the complex to the Sky side rather than staying in the older Grand Casino by the north garage.
Finding your way around
This is a large site with two of everything, and the parking decides your evening. The North Parking Garage sits near the Spa Tower and the Grand Theater, the concert room. The South Parking Garage, off South 9th Avenue and Jackpot Drive, is the one for the Sky Tower, the Sky Casino and The District, where you will find bowling, an arcade and six movie screens. Hotel guests get free valet. Pick the garage for the half of the resort you came for and you will save a long indoor walk.
The poker room, more than 30 tables with its own staff, lives in the Sky Casino. The Racebook in The League takes wagers through seven self-service terminals on up to 18 tracks. For dinner, the resort points to 1832 Steakhouse in the Sky Tower and Butterfield's Buffet, among 20 restaurants and bars in total.
Oklahoma City to Choctaw Casino: the route
Durant is in the far south-east of the state, close to the Texas line, so from the capital this is a proper road trip rather than an evening out. The usual route is I-35 south from Oklahoma City to Ardmore, then US-70 east to Durant, about 149 miles in all. Allow around two and a half hours in normal traffic. Once you reach Durant, the resort sits on Highway 69/75 on the south side of town.
That distance is why so many visitors from Oklahoma City book a room rather than drive both ways in a day. Dallas is roughly 100 miles to the south, so the resort draws from two metro areas rather than one. There is also an RV park on site with pull-through sites and a free shuttle to the resort.
Who should make the trip
Choctaw Durant suits a player who wants volume and choice under one roof: thousands of machines, a full pit, a big poker room and a hotel tower to sleep in afterwards. It suits a smoke-averse player better than most large Oklahoma floors, because of the Sky Casino. It suits a family less well than the pool complex suggests, because the gaming floor rule is strict: under-18s cannot be on it, accompanied or not.
The Choctaw Nation also runs casinos at Pocola, Grant and elsewhere, and a newer resort at Hochatown. If you are comparing it with the state's other giant, our biggest casinos in Oklahoma guide puts the published machine counts side by side, and our casino age guide covers how entry rules differ by tribe.
Frequently asked questions
How many slot machines does Choctaw Casino Durant have?
More than 7,400, according to the resort. About 3,300 of them were added when the Sky Casino opened in August 2021.
Is Choctaw Casino Durant smoke-free?
Partly. The Sky Casino is smoke-free and holds more than 3,200 slots and table games, and all table games are nonsmoking.
How far is Choctaw Casino from Oklahoma City?
About 149 miles, roughly two and a half hours, via I-35 south to Ardmore and US-70 east.
How old do you have to be at Choctaw Casino Durant?
18 to wager. Minors are not allowed on the gaming floor even with an adult.