10/01/06
BROWNING (AP) — The Blackfeet tribe’s new Glacier Peaks Casino held a Las Vegas-style grand opening Friday.

‘‘It was an outstanding success,’’ Tribal Councilwoman Betty Cooper said. ‘‘Every machine was occupied.’’

Gary Green, the casino manager, said he stopped counting visitors at 2,000.

The $7 million casino, operated by the tribe’s for-profit entity Siyeh Corp., has 500 slot machines and offers blackjack, craps and roulette — games that are illegal under Montana law. Federal rules allow the games in tribal casinos.

‘‘I didn’t ever expect to see showgirls in Browning,’’ chuckled Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Earl Old Person.

The showgirls add to the big casino flavor, as does the lack of a cap on jackpots. The largest jackpot during its first month of operation was $32,000, officials said.
‘‘We’re rolling,’’ Green said. He said the casino didn’t begin advertising until Friday and it has drawn nearly half of its business from out of town.

Once the $7 million debt is paid off, the tribe will use the profits for such things as social programs, education and human service needs.

About 330 people work at Glacier Peaks.

‘‘We started with 220 but I wanted to crank up our customer service,’’ Green said. ‘‘All but four of us are from this region.’’

Friday’s grand opening events included 10 Elvis impersonators who parachuted into the casino’s parking lot.

One of the impersonators ‘‘hit the pavement’’ and had to be taken to the hospital, but wasn’t seriously injured, Cooper said.

She said the crowds of people who came out for the event included several busloads from out of town.

The opening also featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, free T-shirts, hors d’oeuvres, champagne and a 5-foot-tall ice sculpture. Outside, organizers gave out 1,000 hamburgers in 10 minutes, Green said.

‘‘Our theme is that we’re stealing Las Vegas and bringing it to Montana, and you know what, we did it,’’ he said. ‘‘There is nothing like this in the state of Montana.’’

The casino — open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — is located near the entrance of Glacier National Park.