YOU MIGHT SAY THE INDIANS are having the last laugh. A little over one hundred years ago, the white man couldn’t wait to get them off their land. Now he’s lined up to visit it, and, better yet, leave some of his money behind.

Indian gaming has become a big business for many of the tribes, not only in the southwest, but across the country. Here in the Four Corners area there are several casinos, two of them belonging to the Utes.

UTE MOUNTAIN CASINO AND HOTEL.Towaoc, Colorado. Located just minutes from Mesa Verde National Park and the Four Corners Monument, and within an hours drive from Durango and Farmington, NM, this growing complex is popular with locals and travelers. The 90-room hotel opened in May and features four large suites and four smaller ones, meeting rooms, a sauna, jacuzzi, swimming pool, gift shop and poker room. The adjoining casino, which has been open for 11 years, is a frequent stop for truckers and people just passing through. “We have a lot of people stopping by, to get gas, to eat, to stay in the RV Park,” said Reuben Hammond, Marketing Director, “We draw a lot of motor traffic, people from a 200-hundred mile radius. Now with the hotel, people without RVs can stay overnight.”

The casino is the largest in the Four Corners Area and includes a multitude of gaming opportunities—wide area progressive machines, blackjack, poker, bingo, keno, slots and video poker. The slots and video poker are the most popular games in the casino. There’s no need to head down the road for something to eat, either. Kuchus Restaurant provides “southwest dining at its best,” with hearty or light fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try the buffet. The selections are excellent with mouth-watering daily specials. The RV Park offers a playground and game room, pull-through RV spaces, tent spaces, teepees, a sauna, indoor pool, wading pool, cable TV, convenience store, rest rooms and shower and laundry.

SKY UTE CASINO AND HOTEL. Ignacio, Colo. Just 25 minutes from Durango and one hour from Farmington, NM, this is the only Colorado casino that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also boasts the only non-smoking slot room in the Four Corners. No wonder the slots are always ringing and the parking lot full. In the casino, you’ll find slots, BlackJack, bingo and live multi-deck action, including three-card poker. Sky Ute Bingo is played regularly in the casino’s Rolling Thunder Hall. Doors open at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and at 1 p.m. on Sundays.

If you’re hungry, try a hamburger, sandwich or homemade pizza in the Rolling Thunder Cafe. The Cafe offers daily specials along with a regular menu as well as a convenient take-out service. Open Sunday- Thursday  11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m. For a more prolonged dining experience, maybe to sit back and celebrate your winnings, try the Pino Nuche Restaurant, serving the best in Southwest cuisine. Open seven days a week, the Pino Nuche serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hotel offers large rooms with coffee pots in every room, an outdoor swimming pool, hot tub and 24 hour Front Desk Service. Sky Ute Casino, 14826 Hwy 172 N., Ignacio, CO 81137.

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1. The Ute Mountain Casino is owned by the Weeminuche band of Utes, one of the seven original Ute bands that inhabited the entire state of Colorado. The casino and adjacent new 90-room hotel are on tribal lands, just a few miles south of Cortez, at Towaoc, Colo. SJPG photo