Seminole Tribe Medicine Man and Rainmaker Bobby Henry offered a solemn traditional blessing at the opening ceremony for the new Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino. Then he cracked a smile: “This is better than a chickee.”

The Brighton reservation has a lot to celebrate with the opening of the new casino and hotel. The resort includes a casino with nearly 38,000 square feet, including space for 640 slot machines and 18 tables for blackjack, craps, roulette and other house-banked card games. A smoke free area has 104 slot machines. A high-limit gaming area has 42 slot machines and four table games.

The resort features four eateries: Josiah Steakhouse, the EE-TO-LEET-KE Grill, the quick service Marketplace, and the Center Bar.

The 100-room hotel features a fitness center and outdoor swimming pool. The resort even has a 10-lane bowling alley.

The new resort has been a long time coming for Brighton, said Seminole Tribe Chairman Marcellus Osceola. “One thing we cherish the most is those who sacrificed the most before we were recognized as a tribe,” he said. Since 1957, when the Seminole Tribe of Florida was officially recognized by the federal government and the Tribe’s own Constitution was written, Tribal members have been working for a better future for their children, while at the same time preserving the Seminole culture and traditions.

Osceola also took time to thank the Creator. “Without the Creator, this is not possible,” he said.

The chairman said he remembers the Little Red Barn bingo hall, Brighton’s first gaming venue. “I agree with Bobby. This is a lot better than a chickee,” he said. That bingo hall was the start for a better life for the Tribal members. “I don’t know if this casino would be here if Josiah (Johns) didn’t build that bingo hall.”

Osceola said the Seminole casinos provide the revenue to feed, house and educate the children, as well as fund the reservation’s health clinic, police, fire protection and senior services.

“Everybody did an amazing job” on the new casino and hotel, Osceola continued. “Get ready, Brighton. This place is about to explode!”

Brighton Tribal Council Representative Larry Howard remembered the Little Red Barn bingo hall. “There was a pole out front to tie your horses up to,” he said. He said that 14 months ago the land where the new casino stands was just open ground.

“Times have changed. We’re going forward, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our culture,” Howard said.

Howard explained the name “Brighton Bay” refers to the proximity to Lake Okeechobee. In the future, they plan to put in a marina so that visitors can access Lake Okeechobee from the property.

“This place is going to make a lot of people happy,” said Miss Florida Seminole CeCe Thomas. “We are a people with strong lineage and strong culture, and we need to bring that out to the world.”

Jim Allen, Chief Executive Officer for Seminole Gaming, said it was important for the hotel and casino design to reflect Seminole culture. He said the facility has space for future growth.

Under Allen’s watch, the Tribe’s gaming facilities have seen a lot of growth. In 2000, there were six facilities, he said. The Tribe now has 370 hotels, casinos, restaurants and entertainment venues in 74 countries.

Allen said when the Tribe acquired the Hard Rock Brand in 2006, that brand was in more than 30 countries. They have more than doubled the number of locations in the past 19 years. Hard Rock hotels can be found in China, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Indonesia.

Allen thanked the Tribal team members and contractors who worked long hours, holidays and hurricanes to get the buildings finished, as promised, before the annual 2025 Brighton Seminole Field Day celebration.

He gave special recognition to Brighton Bay General Manager Marty Johns. “Marty got the job done,” he said.

Johns, who has been part of the business for 45 years, started with his father, Josiah, at the Little Red Barn bingo hall. He said the second high stakes bingo hall in the country was the Little Red Barn. He remembered putting screws in the barn roof and his grandmother making cobbler to sell at the bingo hall so she could use the proceeds to play bingo.

The Red Barn was not air-conditioned, he explained. And they put a big fan in to help circulate the air and help get rid of some of the smoke.

“Those times were challenging. Something kept me driving to move forward,” said Johns. He thanked former Tribal Chairman James Billie for encouraging him.

In 1998, Johns convinced the Tribe to invest in a 27,000 square foot gaming space which became the Seminole Brighton Casino.

The new Brighton Bay casino, which officially opened at noon on Feb. 6, is open 24 hours a day. The facility is on Reservation Road (County Road 721) in Glades County, about 3 miles south of the former casino.

BRIGHTON -- Lynryd Skynyrd was in concert at the Seminole Brighton Bay Casino on Feb. 6. [Photo by Katrina Elsken/Lake Okeechobee News]