Success Stories

The Redwood area is home to many exciting entertainment and recreational opportunities, including endless gaming action at the Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel in Morton, only seven miles east of Redwood Falls. Casino play, live entertainment, a renowned golf experience and abundant dining options are only a few of the excellent amenities awaiting guests at this lively Minnesota establishment.

Space to Play 

Jackpot Junction is Minnesota’s first and friendliest casino with 440,000 square feet and two floors of gaming and gambling space! The casino offers 1,250 of the latest video slot machines, with a variety of themes ranging in denomination from one cent to twenty five dollars. The casino has new machines arriving frequently. All of Jackpot’s machines are outfitted with the newest technology and state of the art features. Table games are also available with Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, 21+3, Free Bet Blackjack and Ultimate Texas Hold’em as options to choose from. Visitors also enjoy Bingo games and pull tabs.  

Luxury Amenities 

The Lower Sioux Lodge, adjacent to the casino is a AAA, three diamond rated hotel with 379 luxury rooms. The Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel offers a variety of delectable food options including:

• Dacotah Dining, a full service restaurant
• Full Deck Grill
• Wabasha Creek Restaurant at the Dacotah Ridge Golf Course

Full beverage service is also available throughout the Casino, including full service bars with all your favorite drinks. The nightclub offers a variety of music as well as country bands every weekend. 

The Jackpot Junction is managed by the Lower Sioux Indian Tribe and is operated by 859 employees. It’s a large employer in the area. High quality management provides first rate service to casino guests. Some of the key management figures include:

• General Manager – Brian Pendleton 
• Finance Director  –  Jim Koerner
• Director of Sales and Marketing – Markeela Toreen
• Director of Human Resources – Anne O’Keefe-Jackson
• Director of Security  – Brian Lehnhoff
• Director of Food and Beverage – Michael Bernaek

These leaders keep Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel running strongly and smoothly. 

COVID-19 Changes

While Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel is still encouraging fun, the establishment has put into place some safety precautions to keep guests healthy. Table games now feature dividers as well as front facing staff dividers. The buffet, pool and bingo hall remain closed for the time being. Jackpot utilized the PPE program to further prepare for employee and visitor safety during the pandemic. 

Community Camaraderie

The community has shown support to Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel during the uncertain times of the pandemic. Jackpot gives back by housing the Cansayapi Food Pantry in the Dacotah Exposition Center. This food pantry was started shortly after the pandemic took full force in April of 2020, and it is a vital source of nourishment for many. 

Other Exciting Opportunities at Jackpot

Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel is also home to a 18-hole championship golf course designed by world renowned golf architect Rees Jones. Dacotah Ridge Golf Club is owned and operated by the Lower Sioux Community.  The course is located on 240 acres located 4 miles east of the casino on the West Side of County Highway 2. It features beautiful landscaping, natural wetlands, Wabasha Creek and a 14-acre lake.  

Stay & Play Packages will be available during the golf season. Check for promotions and event schedules on the Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel website before your next staycation! To learn more about the unique Redwood area businesses that make our community great, visit our RADC Success Stories

The Redwood Area Communities Foundation (RACF) is a core community developer. The support offered to the community by RACF is unrivaled in impact. Don Yrjo, Chairman of RACF, gave insight as to what makes the foundation special and vital to the Redwood area. 

The Redwood Area Communities Foundation Defined

The Redwood Area Communities Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit entity organized for the welfare and benefit of Redwood County residents and organizations. The RACF’s focus is on those who live or have their principal place of business in Redwood County or within a 10 mile radius. The RACF was established in 1988. 

The Redwood Area Communities Foundation Impact

Redwood Area Communities Foundation works hand in hand with the Redwood Area Development Corporation to improve the quality of life for local communities and their residents, to benefit public school districts and any charitable organizations operating in Redwood County and to provide scholarships and loans to students living here.  

“Looking at all of the diverse groups served in itself is a success story. The groups benefited by RACF include different spectrums across the board, from youth to senior citizens and the healthy to those in need,” says Don Yrjo, Chairman of RACF.

The RACF supports civic, charitable, benevolent, educational and cultural purposes in Redwood County. The foundation has more than 30 subsidiaries and over three million dollars in assets that are managed for these groups. The foundation’s current designated accounts are listed as follows and continue to expand.  

• Apple Gourd Project
• Celebrate Redwood Falls
• Country Sno Riders 
• Dominick Bruns Memorial Fund
• Ehlers Student Loan Fund
• Erik’s Memorial Fund
• Ernie Werner Ag Scholarship
• Friends of the County Fair
• Friends of the Park 
• Giving Back – Redwood Lions & Rotarians
• GRASP – Greater Redwood Area Suicide Prevention
• Hinterland Art Crawl
• Leave a Legacy-SW MN
• LINC Redwood County
• Minnesota Indigenous Women Society
• Minnesota Valley ATV Riders
• Orrin Estebo Foundation
• Friends of Parkview Senior Living - Belview, MN
• Redwood Area Community Youth Foundation 
• Redwood Area Hospital Foundation
• Redwood Area Junior Golf Association
• Redwood Chamber Community Partners
• Redwood County Purple Ribbon Club
• Redwood Electric Trust 
• Redwood County Warrior Foundation
• Redwood Valley Baseball Association
• Redwood Westside Center
• Share the Spirit 
• Technology and Trades on the Prairie
• Wanda Cemetery

A cornerstone program of RACF is the Ehlers Student Loan Fund.The cost of a college education continues to rise, and, for some, those costs can hinder their goal of earning a degree. Those who do pursue post-secondary education quickly discover the costs associated with furthering their education result in taking out loans at a high rate of interest. In an effort to help address those financial realities a program was established in Redwood Falls by a benefactor named Martin Ehlers. The program provides interest-free funds for students living in Redwood County or attending school in Redwood County. Next deadline is May 4, 2020. 

These groups are able to receive grants and tax deductible gifts from individuals due to the 501(c)(3) status of RACF. They can receive these grants and tax deductions as both short term subsidiaries and long term subsidiaries. The financial help received by the 501(c)(3) status allows these accounts to put more of their finances into their missions for the community. 

The Redwood Area Communities Foundation Future Growth 

The RACF plans to continue providing scholarships for youth to adults, encouraging the expansion of community youth activities as well as mental and physical health activities, progressing technology in the area,  assisting civic organizations, helping veterans, benefiting the arts and providing leadership. Countless opportunities exist for growth in Redwood County.

“The RACF has been serving many diverse needs for more than 30 years in our communities,” explains Yrjo. “I believe it will continue to grow and serve the needs of many more groups as time and needs change in the future,” he finishes.

To learn more about establishing a subsidiary of Redwood Area Communities Foundation, contact Redwood Area Development Corporation at 507-637-4004.