Entertainment wars: D-FW venues complain WinStar casino makes it hard to compete for big names
THACKERVILLE, Okla. — At WinStar World Casino and Resort, it’s common to hear one gambler say to another, “Man, you’re on a roll.” But when it comes to entertainment, the casino itself is on a roll.
Since its 3,500-seat Global Event Center opened in 2008, WinStar has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in North Texas’ increasingly crowded cultural-entertainment landscape. Just across the state line on Interstate 35, WinStar is about 80 miles north of downtown Dallas.
But it’s less than an hour away from such fast-growing suburbs as Lewisville, Frisco and Plano, which is causing venue operators in Dallas and Fort Worth to take note: WinStar is stiff competition, and the lure of legalized gambling is only one reason why.
Doug Curtis, president and CEO of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, said WinStar is proving to be a formidable rival to “a very great extent.”
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/arts/columnists/michael-granberry/20151204-entertainment-wars-d-fw-venues-complain-winstar-casino-makes-it-hard-to-compete-for-big-names.ece
[font color=330099]The exclusivity contracts limiting acts from performing within a 100 mile radius is a game changer for the North Texas market.[/font]
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