The Dakota Value of Sharing

• 2019 Donation Report. In 2019, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community provided $15 million in donations for education, youth activities, health care programs, legal aid, community development and infrastructure, women’s health, arts and culture, local communities, environmental protection, and much more.
• The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community owns and operates the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Shakopee, Minnesota. Photo: Mystic Lake Casino Hotel A March 18, 2020, message from Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino.

A strong tradition of helping others, 'wo' okiye' (helpfulness) has defined the Dakota people for generations. Honoring that tradition, the SMSC contributes to causes, organizations, and tribes across the region, state, and country. The SMSC is the largest philanthropic benefactor for Indian Country nationally, and one of the largest charitable givers in Minnesota.

The SMSC has donated more than $350 million to organizations and causes, provided $500 million in economic development loans to other tribes, and contributed millions more to support regional governments and infrastructure. Find out more about our charitable giving in our annual Donation Reports.

COVID-19 Update

Like many other governments and organizations right now, our tribe has had to make significant adjustments to our operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. For that reason, we are in the process of reimagining our charitable giving guidelines and procedures, as we evaluate how to best support our community. We are taking this time to listen to and learn from our grant recipients so we can respond in a meaningful, impact way.

At this time we are not accepting grant applications. Please check back for additional updates about our grant application process. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, please contact donations@shakopeedakota.org.

The Change for the Better program supports the current charitable efforts of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and provides guests with the option to make a donation to local charities that greatly impact our communities. A Friendly Gaming Experience Little Six Casino is the smaller, more intimate gaming enterprise owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. With beginnings as a bingo hall in 1982, this casino near first expanded into Little Six Bingo and Casino in 1987, and reopened at its current location in December 2007.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Casino Jobs

2019 Donation Report

The word Mdewakanton translates to Dwellers of Spirit Lake, or Mystic Lake. Two years after slot machines were introduced at Little Six Casino, Mystic Lake Casino® opened its doors. Today, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community owns and operates Mystic Lake Casino Hotel®, Little Six Casino®, Dakotah!

In 2019, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community provided $15 million in donations for education, youth activities, health care programs, legal aid, community development and infrastructure, women’s health, arts and culture, local communities, environmental protection, and much more.

Learn More About the SMSC

Read about our people or visit our frequently asked questions for additional information about the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

Donations & Giving

Take a look at past donations and the philanthropic efforts of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to see the impact of our giving, and how giving back has always been a part of our culture.

Yahipi Kin Waste, or welcome, to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community. The vibrant prairies riverbanks, and lakes of the Minnesota and Upper Mississippi river area have been home to the Dakota people for centuries. Generations of Dakota families fished the rivers, gathered rice from lakes, hunted game on the prairies and established villages along the riverbanks and surrounding lakes. The existence of the Dakota ancestors was sustained by their relationship with the earth and their surroundings.

As European settlers began arriving in increasing numbers onto the Dakota’s native lands, conflict grew. After an armed conflict in 1862, where the Dakota fought for their homeland, the United States government broke its treaties with the Dakota and most of the Dakota people were removed from Minnesota.

The Dakota who remained in Minnesota, including the Lower Sioux, Prairie Island, Upper Sioux, and Shakopee tribes, worked to keep their culture and traditions alive, while trying to establish a government and economic system that would support their members. After many years of persistence, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community was federally recognized as a Tribal government in 1969.

Seeking a solution to the tribe’s economic struggles, Shakopee Tribal Chairman, Norman M. Crooks brought high stakes Bingo to Minnesota in 1982 with the opening of Little Six Bingo. In 1988 the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act established the basis for tribes to negotiate compacts with the State of Minnesota to offer blackjack and video slots and Little Six Bingo became Little Six Casino.

Little Six Bingo and Little Six Casino were named after Dakota Chief Sakpe (pronounced Shock-Pay). The English translation of the Dakota name Sakpe is the number six. The tribe’s name Shakopee is also derived from the more literal form of Chief Sakpe’s name. The word Mdewakanton translates to Dwellers of Spirit Lake, or Mystic Lake.

Two years after slot machines were introduced at Little Six Casino, Mystic Lake Casino® opened its doors. Today, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community owns and operates Mystic Lake Casino Hotel®, Little Six Casino®, Dakotah! Sport & Fitness, Playworks, Shakopee Dakota Convenience Stores, Dakotah Meadows RV Park and Campgrounds, Dakotah Meadows Mini Storage, The Meadows at Mystic Lake Golf Club, Mazopiya Natural Food Market, and Mystic Lake Store at the Mall of America®.

After years of operating in its original structure, Little Six Casino moved into a brand new building in December 2007. Today, Little Six Casino sits on the original site that Little Six Bingo did 30 years before.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community sincerely hopes you enjoy your visit to our community and Little Six Casino.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Casino Entertainment

To learn more about Indian Gaming in Minnesota visit www.mnindiangaming.com