Melissa Darden, Chairman
Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
Cypress Bayou Casino & Hotel – Charenton, LA
cypressbayou.casino / chitimacha.gov
Chairman Melissa Darden discusses the steps her tribe is taking to ensure the long-term economic and cultural resilience of their community, and the primary areas of focus for her tribe’s gaming and entertainment enterprise.
RESILIENCE: We are growing! We are growing and diversifying our tribal enterprise portfolio, and we are also growing in tribal membership through birthrate. Like the old saying goes, “you can either grow or die” and we have chosen to grow. As a tribe, we always pay homage to the past and our ancestors, but we are also always looking towards the future. We have to. The economic landscape is forever changing. Much of that is beyond our control, so we have to focus on things that we can control. We have a great group of tribal enterprises. They perform well for us. Yes, our main revenue generator is gaming, but we have invested wisely and diversified. Besides our casino, we have a convenience store/gas station, grocery store and another one in construction, a subdivision, and multiple types of contract services companies. These tribal businesses aren’t just supportive of our tribal members and culture – they support the communities, cities, and states that they operate in.
GAMING: Our primary focus in the gaming industry right now is iGaming. Though not legal in the state we operate in, we have to know it is coming at some point. We see the industry numbers and they are amazing for those with online casinos. We have yet to see exactly how it will impact brick-and-mortar casinos in the long term, as it is a fairly new type of gaming. When and if it is legalized in our home state, iGaming will have a big impact on our gaming operation one way or the other.