Absentee Shawnee planning new casino Three tribes to build along Interstate 40

SHAWNEE - The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is among the developers planning casinos along Interstate 40 east of Oklahoma City.

The tribe is proposing a 240,000-square-foot casino/travel plaza off I-40 and State Highway 9A at the Earlsboro exit.

"We're breaking ground in May. This is going to be a reality," said James Edwards, governor of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe.

The project will be built in two parts. Phase I will bring nearly 900 jobs to the area and cost about $50 million, Edwards said.