PINE BLUFF, Ark. — On Tuesday, Saracen Casino Resort hosted a job fair leading up to its grand opening in a little over one month.
What was once just a vision for the 110 acres of land has transformed into a reality full of flashing lights and spinning numbers.
Quapaw Nation Chairman Joseph Byrd described it as surreal.
"It's truly amazing to see where we are now and just to see all the games come online to the fixtures being put in place," he said.
According to Byrd, 2,000 slot machines and 35 table games cover the much-anticipated Saracen Casino floor.
"We're actually over 80% of the way complete and now we're going in and putting the final touches on everything, making sure that all of the loose ends are tied up," he said.
Part of those final touches includes finding the people to staff the inside which is what took place on Tuesday.
Todd Gold, Director of Food and Beverage for Saracen Casino, said the amount of interest was incredible to see.
"We've probably processed 2 or 3 hundred interviews this morning and have that many again in line waiting to be interviewed," he said.
A line, that according to Gold, formed at 7:30 a.m., stayed consistent and wrapped around the building for most of the day.
"Everybody has come, not just from Pine Bluff, but the surrounding areas," Byrd said.
From facilities to table games to surveillance, all the departments were on the hunt. Specifically for food and beverage, Gold was looking to hire 200 people to help run their seven food outlets.
"Over the next couple of weeks we'll bring all these new hires in and start training because we need to be ready early October to get open and get going," he said.
An opening which Byrd described as vital to the Quapaw Nation and the city of Pine Bluff as a whole.
"We're breathing light into this property and the property is going to breathe life back into the economy for the area, as well as, the state of Arkansas," he said.
The casino is set to open on Oct. 20 with a couple of soft openings prior.
If you missed the job fair, there's a possibility Saracen will host more before the casino opens its doors.
You can always apply online here.