Southern California Casinos | Updates 2023

SoCal Indian Gaming Casinos

There are four major casino regions in Southern California. These include Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Santa Barbara County and the Inland Empire (Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Imperial County).

Los Angeles County has state-licensed poker cardrooms and no Indian Casinos. There are no cardrooms nor Indian casinos in Orange County.

Southern California has 29 Indian Casinos

Southern California is our nation's early birthplace of Indian casino gamiing (Ref: California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians 1987). Today 45% of all slot machines in California are located in Riverside and San Diego Counties.

Use the following guides for a complete listing with information sbout Indian casinos and poker cardrooms throughout the entire Southern California.

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News Headlines

Jamul Casino is building a boutique, luxury hotel May 26, 2023 - In a press release this week, Jamul Casino announced it has begun construction of a boutique, luxury hotel next to the casino. The new hotel will be 16 stories with 200 guest rooms, including ... Read more Morongo Casino breaks ground on new high-limit slots room May 1, 2023 - The Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon is building a new high-limit slots room, which will open this Fall 2023. The location is currently the valet parking lot ... Read more Sycuan Casino Resort Awarded 5th Consecutive AAA Four Diamond Rating April 22, 2023 - Sycuan Casino Resort has been awarded the AAA Four Diamond Rating every year since opening its first hotel in 2019. The 12-story hotel offers 300 guest rooms and 57 suites ... Read more Pechanga Resort Casino opens 'The Cove' pool to local residents April 17, 2023 - Pechanga Resort Casino has opened its massive 'The Cove' pool complex to local residents for the new season. Day passes can be purchased for $45 at The Cove check-in ... Read more Agua Caliente Palm Springs: The Spa at Sec-He opens April 4 March 29, 2023 - The Spa at Sec-he at the new Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza will open on Tuesday April 4th. The name "sec-he" means the "sound of boiling water", the original name for the hot mineral spring ... Read more Headlines continued...

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2020 Best Southern California Casinos

Readers of the Southern California Gaming Guide^TM voted for the top Socal casinos in several categories. These are 13 of the key categories:

Best Casino

1. Barona Resort & Casino

2. Valley View Casino & Hotel

3. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Best Casino Resort

1. Pechanga Resort Casino

2. Harrah's Resort Southern California

3. Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage

Loosest Slots Casino

1. Barona Resort & Casino

2. Valley View Casino & Hotel

3. Sycuan Casino Resort

Best Slot Tournaments

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel

2. Yaamava' Resort Casino at San Manuel

3. Pala Casino Resort Spa

Best Poker

1. Sycuan Casino Resort

2. Chumash Casino Resort

3. Jamul Casino

Best Blackjack

1. Pala Casino Resort Spa

2. Casino Pauma

3. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa

Best Bingo

1. Sycuan Casino Resort

2. Chumash Casino Resort

3. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa

Luckiest Casino

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel

2. Barona Resort & Casino

3. Casino Pauma

Best Entertainment

1. Pala Casino Resort Spa

2. Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage

3. Pechanga Resort Casino

Best Buffet

1. The Buffet - Valley View Casino & Hotel

2. Fresh Grill Buffet - Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

3. Buffet - Pechanga Resort Casino

Best Fine Dining

1. Black&Blue Steakhouse - Valley View Casino & Hotel

2. Willows Restaurant - Chumash Casino Resort

3. Great Oak Steakhouse - Pechanga Resort Casino

Best Promotions

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel

2. Chumash Casino Resort

3. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Best Players Club

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel

2. Barona Resort & Casino

3. Harrah's Resort Southern California

Source: Southern California Gaming Guide

New Construction 2020-2022

• Aqua Caliente Casino Cathedral City (New)
  This new Cathedral City casino opened for the first time on Nov. 24, 2020. It features a 30,000 square foot gaming floor with 530 slot machines and 8 table games. There are four restaurants and a 12,000-square-foot, outdoor event pavillion.

• Cahuilla Casino (Replacement)
  The newly built Cahuilla Casino Hotel celebrated its grand opening on May 27, 2020. The casino replaces the original Cahuilla Casino built in in 1996, and features a 14,000-square-foot gaming floor with 306 slots, blackjack, three-card poker, two restaurants, an outdoor entertainment venue and a four-story hotel with 58 guest rooms. Construction started in October 2018 and finished in early 2020.

• Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa (Expansion)
  Morongo added 65,000 square feet to the existing 150,000 square foot gaming area last year to allow for more table games and 800 new slot machines. In Spring 2021 Morongo will complete construction of a 750-space parking garage and a new bar and lounge.

• Yaamava' Resort Casino (Expansion)
  In 2021 San Manuel Casino was rebranded as Yaamava' Resort Casino when it opened two new casino floors and a new 450-room hotel with dining, shops and a pool complex. A 3,000-seat indoor entertainment venue will also be completed. It will not open until 2022. These additions are part of a $550 million construction project begun in 2018.

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Southern California Indian Casinos

Southern California Indian casinos are listed here by alphabet and by county. Detailed information about each casino is available by clicking the name of the casino.

Minimum Gambling Age is 18 years or older in Indian Casino. However, most Indian casinos serve alcohol and have set the minimum age to enter at 21 to comply with the minimum age of 21 required by their alcohol license. Some casinos allow people under 18 or 21 years old to enter unrestricted areas in their building, but you should check with the casino first before visiting. Other casinos enforce the 21 years limit throughout their facility.

Alphabetical List of Casinos

County List of Casinos

This is a list of Southern California casinos by county. Each casino is linked to a full information page.

IMPERIAL COUNTY

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

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SAN DIEGO COUNTY

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News Articles

2022 Best of Inland Empire: Best Southern California Casino

September 19, 2022

Press Enterprise announced the winners of its 27th Annual Reader Choice Awards this week, and two casinos tied for first place as 'Best of Inland Empire: Best Southern California Casino'. Pechanga Resort Casino has been the perennial first-place winner of this award. However, this year Pechanga and Soboba Resort Casino tied for first place.

1. Pechanga Resort Casino     
   Soboba Resort Casino

2. Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa

3. Yaamava' Resort Casino

In 2021 the casino winners in this same catagory, 'Best Southern California Casino', were: 1. Pechanga Resort Casino, 2. Yaamava' Resort Casino and 3. Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa.

Read the full article at Press Enterprise

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"2021 Best Southern California Casino" by OC Register

September 29, 2021

This week the Orange Country Register published its 2021 Best Southern California Casino as selected by readers of the newspaper. The best casino is part of the Register's annual readers poll of the Best of Orange County.

This year readers selected Pechanga Resort Casino, Pala Casino, Spa & Resort and San Manuel Casino as the numbers 1, 2 and 3 respectively amongst Southland casinos.

1. PECHANGA RESORT CASINO
   Pechanga is located in the wine country of southwest Riverside County in the city of Temecula, California. The casino is the second largest in California.

   Casino: 5,000 slot machines, 158 table games, 38 poker tables, and a 700-seat bingo room. Total size is 188,000 square feet.

   Entertainment: Pechanga Theater seats 1,200 and the new Pechanga Summitseats 2,700.

   Restaurants: 12 restaurants and 4 bars

   Hotel: 1,090 rooms and suites, 13 pools and spas, and a 25,000-square-foot health spa.

2. PALA CASINO, SPA & RESORT
   Pala is located in the northeast corner of San Diego County in Pala, California

   Casino: 2,250 slot machines, 60 table games, 3 high-limit rooms and a poker room. Total size is 86,000 square feet.

   Entertainment: Starlight Theater with 2,251 outdoor seats and Pala Events Center with 2,000 indoor seats.

   Restaurants: 12 restaurants and bars.

   Hotel: Four-Diamond hotel and spa featuring 425 deluxe rooms, 82 luxury suites, olympic-size pool, two resturants and convention space.

3. YAAMAVA' RESORT CASINO AT SAN MANUEL
   San Manuel Casino changed its name to Yaamava Resort Casino in late September 2021. The casino recently added two new gaming floors with 1,300 more slot machines, 40 more table games and a high-limit room and is now the largest casino in California.

   Casino: 6,500 slot machines, 120 table games, 5 high-limit rooms and a poker room with 38 tables. Total size is 121,300 square feet.

   Entertainment: A new 3000-seat event center will open in early 2022.

   Restaurants: 2 fine dining, 4 casual, 2 fast food and 8 bars.

   Hotel: The first onsite hotel will open soon and feature 432 rooms.

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Which Southern California casinos have ended buffets?

June 5, 2021

Many of the Indian gaming casinos in Southern California have permanently closed their buffets following the COVID-19 pandemic. Others have not set reopening dates, and some have quietly removed the buffets from their websites.

REOPENED BUFFETS

Valley View Casino & Hotel is the only SoCal casino to reopen its buffet. Food is served to guests at there tables rather than from a buffet line.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has temporarily closed its buffet with no reopening date.

San Manuel Casino has temporarily closed its buffet with no reopening date.

Spotlight 29 has closed its Capitata Buffet, however, buffets are available for banquets.

Sycuan Casino Resort has temporarily closed its buffet with no reopening date.

PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs has closed its buffet and replaced it with the 360 Sports bar.

Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage has removed its buffet from its website.

Casino Pauma has closed its buffet and replaced the space with a Mexican restaurant.

Harrah's Resort Southern California has permanently ended its buffet and will replace it with an alternative venue this summer.

Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa has removed its buffet from its website.

Pala Casino, Spa & Resort has permanently closed its buffet and will announce a replacement venue this summer.

Pechanga Resort Casino has removed its buffet from its website.

Viejas Casino & Resort has removed its buffet from its website.

NO PRE-COVID BUFFETS

These Southern California casinos did not have buffets prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns: Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City, Augustine Casino, Barona Resort & Casino, Cahuilla Casino Hotel, Jamul Casino and Soboba Casino Resort.

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New Year's Eve at Southern California casinos

December 27, 2020

New Year 2021 celebrations are different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most Southern California Indian casinos have limited their guest capacity and toned down their events and promotions, and several Southern California casino have canceled all events.

Aqua Caliente Casino Cathedral City
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be celebrated with live DJs, free plays and cash giveaways, party favors and dining and drink specials. Holiday dining at 360 Sports starting at 11 AM.

Aqua Caliente Casino Palm Springs
Fireworks are canceled this year, however, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be celebrated with live DJs, free plays and cash giveaways, party favors and dining and drink specials. Holiday dining at 360 Sports starting at 11 AM.

Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be celebrated with live DJs, free plays and cash giveaways, party favors and dining and drink specials. Holiday dining at 360 Sports starting at 11 AM.

Augustine Casino
The popular New Year's Eve buffet will be replaced with a three-course dinner at Cafe 54. Dinner includes soup or salad, a choice of surf and turf, sea bass, prime rib or chicken, pie a la mode and Champagne for $42.95. Tables will be distanced for health safety and a masked musician will play guitar but will not sing.

Barona Resort & Casino
Barona announced last month that New Year's celebrations are canceled due to COVID-19 panademic.

Cahuilla Casino
The New Year's celebration at 7 PM Dec. 31. Midnight will be celebrated with a balloon drop followed by five random drawings for $1,000 cash, The Ribbonwood Grill will offer a $79 dinner for two from 4 P -10PM. The dinner includes "crab and avocado cocktail, Caesar salad, porterhouse steak Oscar and creme brulee for dessert".

Casino Pauma
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events are planned.

Fantasy Springs Casino
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events are planned.

Harrah's Resort Southern California
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events are planned.

Jamul Casino
$20 in free play will be given to all slots and table games players at noon on New Year's Eve day. That evening a special dinner will be served at Prime Cut. The 5 PM seating is $95 per person and the 8 PM is $165 per person. Tony Gwynn's Rockin' Ultimate Seafood Buffet will be open 6 PM to midnight with a live DJ after 9 PM. Price is $65 per guest. New Year's Day buffet is $65 11AM to 3 PM

Morongo Casino Resort Spa
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be celebrated with free masquerade masks and special food promotions. Good Times Cafe will offer a surf & turf special for $21.99 per person between 11 AM to 3 AM. The Pit Stop Diner inside the old Casino Morongo will also offer a surf & turf special for $21.99 per person between from 8 AM to midnight. On New Year's Day the Sideline Bar & Grill will feature "The 21 Burger" for $14 between 11 AM and 3 AM.

Pala Casino Spa Resort
The Center Bar will have live entertainment New Year's Eve from 1:00 PM to 1:30 AM.

Pechanga Resort & Casino
New Year's Eve events have been cancelled due to the pandemic. Also, all concerts scheduled for the first quarter of 2021 are canceled for the same reason.

San Manuel Casino
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be celebrated with food and drink specials. No entertainment has been announced. To-go food only will be featured at the food court, Rock & Brews and George Lopez's Chingon Kitchen. No table service.

Soboba Casino
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events are planned.

Spotlight 29 Casino
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events are planned.

Sycuan Casino Resort
New Year 2021 will be celebrated with Hot Seat Drawings on Dec 31 from 2PM - 2AM and Jan 1 from 2PM - 2AM. Two winners from Club Sycuan members will be selected every hour for cash prizes for $500, $1,000 and $2,500.

Valley View Casino
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events have been announced.

Viejas Casino
No New Year's Eve or New Year's Day events have been announced.

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Southern California casinos respond to coronavirus

March 17, 2020

UPDATE: Since the original publication of this news article, the following Southern California casinos have temporily shut down:

San Manuel Casino
Pechanga Resort Casino
Augustine Casino
Casino Pauma
Chumash Casino Resort

Check their websites for the latest status.

March 10, 2020

Officials from several Southern California casinos have announced actions to combat the spread of COVID-19. All have added additional hand sanitizing stations at the entrances and throughout their casinos, cleaning schedules are more thorough and more frequent, employees have been trained on CDC standards, and some entertainment events are postponed or cancelled through the end of March.

The following casinos have made public announcements regarding their actions to protect guests.

AGUA CALIENTE RESORT CASINO SPA RANCHO MIRAGE
Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage postponed a E-Sports After Dark tournament (March 11) and a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons concert (March 14).

FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO
Fantasy Springs postponed all March shows - Pitbull (March 14), Daryl Hall & John Oates (March 21), Chaka Khan (March 27) and Dancing With the Stars (March 28). Michael Felci, a spokesman for the casino, said Fantasy Springs is complying with to all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Riverside County health officials.

HARRAH'S RESORT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Harrah's postponed its Flogging Molly show (March 12).

MORONGO CASINO RESORT & SPA
Morongo has cancelled Flogging Molly (March 14), Marlon Wayans (March 20), Le Quyen (March 22) and Rob Lowe (March 27) and postponed auditions for the TV show "Shark Tank" (March 19) and an upcoming Morongo job fair. In a statement casino officials said they were "closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and adhering to the guidelines from the CDC and Riverside County".

PALA CASINO, SPA & RESORT
A casino spokesman, Doug Elmets, said "no concerts of events had been cancelled as of Thursday afternoon, but was continuing to monitor the situation".

PECHANGA RESORT CASINO
Pechanga postponed concerts through the end of March - Ana Gabriel (March 13), Pitbull (March 15) and Chicago (March 15). Tickets will be refunded or honored for new dates. General Manager Brian D. Decorah wrote in an email that Pechanga has increased hand sanitizer stations to 74 and disinfectant wipe stations to 28. Cleaning disinfectants are upgraded to hospital grade, and special staff has been assigned to continually clean public areas and high-touch surfaces 24/7.

SAN MANUEL CASINO
General Manager Peter Arceo wrote that "elevated" cleaning schedules are in place and all employees have been trained in practicing good hygiene, avoiding handshakes and keeping adequate personal space. A steering committee and task force is following CDC recommendations and maintaining the ability to quickly change with the situation.

SOBOBA CASINO RESORT
Soboba has postponed the upcoming show of comedians Colin Jost and Nick Swardson (March 20). About 5-6 additional workers per shift have been assigned to cleaning and disinfecting the gaming floor and restrooms. A new chemical is now used for disinfection. Additional hand sanitizer is available throughout the buildings, and masks are available for 50-cents.

SPOLIGHT 29 CASINO
Spotlight 29 has cancelled all March shows - Marley, Abba, and Rolling Stone tribute acts. A written statement says "the casino has taken steps to raise our usual standards of cleanliness and health safety, including cleaning public touch points such as door handles, elevator buttons, escalator handrails and slot machines multiple times per day".

VALLEY VIEW CASINO & HOTEL
General Manager Bruce Howard wrote a letter to visitors regarding protective actions. These include an increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting all hard surfacea in kitchens, dining areas, counter tops, slot machines and guest areas. All casino restrooms have automatic flushers and motion-activated faucets and soap dispensers to avoid touching surfaces. Valley View is monitoring updates from the "CDC, World Health Organization and local and regional health professionals".

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2019 Southern California's Best Casinos

October 5, 2019

The Southern California Gaming Guide^TM has published the results of its annual Reader's Choice 2019 Best Casinos in its October edition. The poll was conducted in August to rank the 24 Indian casinos in Southern California across 17 casino categories.

These are the results:

Best Casino Resort

1. Pechanga Resort Casino
2. Barona Resort & Casino
3. Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage

Best Casino

1. Barona Resort & Casino
2. Pechanga Resort Casino
3. Harrah's Resort Southern California

Luckiest Casino

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel
2. Barona Resort & Casino
3. Viejas Casino & Resort

Loosest Slots Casino

1. Barona Resort & Casino
2. Valley View Casino & Hotel
3. Casino Pauma

Best Slot Tournaments

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel
2. San Manuel Casino
3. Viejas Casino & Resort

Best Blackjack

1. San Manuel Casino
2. Casino Pauma
3. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa

Best Poker

1. Pechanga Resort Casino
2. Chumash Casino Resort
3. Sycuan Casino Resort

Best Bingo

1. Viejas Casino & Resort
2. Sycuan Casino Resort
3. Chumash Casino Resort

Best Players Club

1. Barona Resort & Casino
2. Harrah's Resort Southern California
3. Valley View Casino & Hotel

Best Promotions

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel
2. Chumash Casino Resort
3. San Manuel Casino

Best Entertainment

1. Pechanga Resort Casino
2. Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage
3. Sycuan Casino Resort

Best Buffet

1. Pala - Choices, The Buffet
2. Barona Resort & Casino - Seasons Fresh Buffet
3. Valley View Casino & Hotel - The Buffet

Best Fine Dining

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel - Black & Blue Steakhouse
2. Chumash Casino Resort - Willows Restaurant
3. Pechanga Resort Casino - Great Oaks Steakhouse

Best Golf Course

1. Pechanga Resort Casino - Journey at Pechanga Resort Casino
2. Agua Caliente Casino rancho Mirage - Indian Canyons Golf Resort
3. Sycuan Casino Resort - Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan Casino Resort

Best Casino Spa

1. Pechanga Resort Casino - Spa Pechanga Resort Casino
2. Agua Caliente Ranco Mirage - Sunstone Spa
3. Harrah's Resort Southern California - The Spa

Best Casino Resort Pool

1. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
2. Sycuan Casino Resort
3. Harrah's Resort Southern California

Best Service

1. Barona Resort & Casino
2. Valley View Casino & Hotel
3. Harrah's Resort Southern California

Source: Southern California Gaming Guide

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2018 Best Southern California Casinos

October 4, 2018

Readers of the Southern California Gaming Guide^TM voted for the Best Casinos in each of 17 categories. The top 3 winners in each category were announced in a Press Release on Oct 4, 2018.

Best Casino

1. Harrah's Resort Southern California
2. Barona Resort & Casino
3. Chumash Casino Resort

Best Casino Resort

1. Pechanga Resort & Casino
2. Barona Resort & Casino
3. Harrah's Resort Southern California

Loosest Slots Casino

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel - The Buffet
2. Barona Resort & Casino
3. Chumash Casino Resort

Luckiest Casino

1. Sycuan Casino
2. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
3. Soboba Casino

Best Players Club

1. Barona Resort & Casino
2. Harrah's Resort Southern California
3. Sycuan Casino

Best Service

1. Barona Resort & Casino
2. Valley View Casino & Hotel
3. San Manuel Casino

Best Entertainment

1. Pechanga Resort & Casino
2. Harrah's Resort Southern California
3. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa

Best Buffet

1. Barona Resort & Casino - Seasons Fresh Buffet
2. Valley View Casino & Hotel - The Buffet
3. Pechanga Resort & Casino Buffet

Best Slots Tournaments

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel
2. San Manuel Casino
3. Viejas Casino & Resort

Best Promotions

1. Valley View Casino & Hotel
2. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa / Spa Resort Casino
3. Soboba Casino

Best Fine Dining

1. Barona Resort & Casino - Barona Oaks Steakhouse
2. Pechanga Resort & Casino - The Great Oak Steakhouse
3. Valley View Casino & Hotel - black & Blue Steakhouse

Best Poker

1. Pechanga Resort & Casino
2. Chumash Casino Resort
3. Sycuan Casino

Best Blackjack

1. San Manuel Casino
2. Barona Resort & Casino
3. Viejas Casino & Resort

Best Golf Course

1. Pechanga Resort & Casino - Journey at Pechanga
2. Barona Resort & Casino - Barona Creek Golf Club
3. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa - Indian Canyons Golf Resort

Best Spa

1. Pechanga Resort & Casino - Spa Pechanga
2. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa - The Spa at Morongo
3. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa - Sunstone, the Spa at Agua Caliente

Best Website

1. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
2. Chumash Casino Resort
3. Harrah's Resort Southern California

Best Bingo

1. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
2. Viejas Casino & Resort
3. Sycuan Casino

Source: The Gaming Guide

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News Headlines Continued

2023

Jamul Casino Will Add Hotel & Event Center April 15, 2023 - The Jamul Indians plan to remodel the Jamul Casino and build an adjacent hotel, event center and parking garage. Financing for the project was secured on March 29th with a $515 million loan through KeyBanc ... Read more Yaamava' earns two AAA's Four Diamond ratings April 1, 2023 - Yaamava' Resort and Casino at San Manuel has received two AAA Four Diamonds ratings for 2023. One was awarded to the new hotel which opened Dec. 13, 2021. The other was awarded to The Pines ... Read more Yaamava' earns 3 Forbes Travel Guide 2023 Star Awards March 27, 2023 - In its first year of operation, Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel became the first resort in the Inland Empire to receive the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide Star Award. Three 2003 Star Awards were ... Read more Agua Caliente Palm Springs: New Cultural Plaza Opens Soon March 22, 2023 - The new Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza in downtown Palm Springs will open this spring and feature the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, a Gathering Plaza, the Oasis Trail and The Spa at Sec-He. ... Read more Pechanga Pow Wow returns Jan. 6-8 January 3, 2023 - The 20th Pechanga Pow Wow will return to the Temecula casino after an eight-year absence caused by the three-year construction project began in 2015 and followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a free event ... Read more

2022

Morongo voted 'Best Casino in Southland' by L.A. Times readers December 5, 2022 - Readers of the LA Times recently voted the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa as the "2022 Best Casino in the Southland" in the category of Entertainment & Living. Morongo was. ... Read more New Year's Eve at Yaamava' Resort & Casino December 31, 2022 - Yaamava' Resort & Casino is sponsoring this year's "Las Vegas Countdown to 2023," a live New Year's Eve TV special to be telecast December 31st from 8:58 PM to 12:35 AM PST. The broadcast will ... Read more Jamul Casino Wishes You a Magical Holiday Season! December 24, 2022 - "Jamul Casino and Team Jamul wish you and your family holidays filled with joy, fun and laughter! We hope you enjoy this festive video of our Tribe and team members where" ... Read more Yaamava' opens The 909 Sports Bar + Food Hall November 29, 2022 - Yaamava' Casino has opened the first-of-its-kind sports bar and dining venue named 'The 909'. The new 17,100-square-foot venue features a 50-foot by 12-foot TV screen, 150 TVs, two bars, food court ... Read more Pala Casino to sponsor 2023 NASCAR race at Fontana November 16, 2022 - Pala Casino will serve as the title sponsor for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race in February 2023 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Pala will also be the primary sponsor of driver Chris ... Read more California sports betting: What's next? November 20, 2022 - The two California sports betting propositions (26, 27) on last week's ballot both went down in overwhelming defeats. Prop 26, which proposed sports betting inside tribal casinos, was opposed by 69% of voters. Prop 27 ... Read more Pechanga Resort Casino partners with LA Clippers October 17, 2022 - Pechanga Resort Casino is now the exclusive tribal casino of the LA Clippers. This week the casino announced a multi-year, sponsoring partnership with the NBA team that will include ... Read more Jamul Casino Celebrates 6th Anniversary Today October 7, 2022 - Jamul Casino begins a weekend of celebration today to mark the 6th anniversary of the newest San Diego casino. Live entertainment, free giveaways and special events are planned for today and tomorrow ... Read more Yaamava' Resort & Casino's Concert Schedule October 4, 2022 - Yaamava Theater is delivering the top shows and concerts it promised when first opening last April. The luxury theater is featuring a long list of favorite artists to sell-out crowds. The 3,800-square-foot stage ... Read more USA Today ranks Yaamava' steakhouse #3 in nationwide poll September 25, 2022 - The 2022 USA Today Readers' Choice Awards has voted The Pines Modern Steakhouse at Yaamava' Resort Casino the #3 "Best Casino Restaurant" in the nation. The honor follows an award for ... Read more California Prop 26 v Prop 27 Ballot Battle: Most Expensive in US History! September 22, 2022 - The stakes are high in California for two sports betting propositions on the Nov. 8 election ballot. Supporters and opposers of Prop 26 and Prop 27 have already spent ... Read more Morongo's 31st Annual Thunder and Lightning Powwow September 21, 2022 - The popular Thunder and Lightning Powwow will be hosted for the 31st year at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa on Sep. 23, 24 and 25. The three-day event is free to the public and features Native ... Read more 2022 Best of Inland Empire: Best Southern California Casino September 19, 2022 - Press Enterprise announced the winners of its 27th Annual Reader Choice Awards this week, and two casinos tied for first place as 'Best of Inland Empire: Best Southern California Casino'. ... Read more Sycuan Casino's First Annual Fashion Show September 7, 2022 - The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation will host its first annual fashion show on September 8 2022 at 7:00 pm at Sycuan Casino Resort's Retreat Pool and Cabanas. The event is open to the public. ... Read more Harrah's Resort SoCal opens Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen August 24, 2022 - California's first HELL'S KITCHEN opened last week at Harrah's Resort Southern California. The new location is the restaurant's largest with 11,360-sq-ft and seating for 332 guests. ... Read more Sycuan wins most '2022 San Diego's Best' casino awards August 15, 2022 - Sycuan Casino Resort won the most first-place awards for a San Diego casino in this year's "San Diego's Best" readers poll conducted by the Union-Tribune. Sycuan was voted best ... Read more Barona named San Diego's Best Casino 2022 August 8, 2022 - Barona Resort & Casino has been voted the Best Casino and the Loosest Slots in the 2022 San Diego's Best Readers Poll published by the Union-Tribune. Barona has won both awards for the past 12 years. ... Read more Jamul Casino Wins Five "San Diego's Best" Awards August 5, 2022 - Jamul Casino is a five-time winner of the 2022 San Diego's Best awards as determined by readers of the San Diego Union-Tribune. This is the fifth straight year of first-place awards for Jamul Casino since ... Read more Yaamava' restaurant earns 2022 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award July 18, 2022 - The Pines Modern Steakhouse at Yaamava' Resort & Casino has been recognized this year by Wine Spectator as one of the world's best restaurants for wine ... Read more California Sports Betting Ballot Measures: State of the War! July , 2022 - California voters will decide in November whether to approve either of two ballot proposals authorizing a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting. Voters will choose either retail or online sports ... Read more Yaamava' Theater opens at Yaamava' Resort and Casino April 18, 2022 - The new Yaamava' Theater opened April 14 with a performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The inaugural event completed the final phase of the four-year, $760 million expansion and rebranding ... Read more Casino Morongo opens new bingo hall and poker room April 17, 2022 - After closing down bingo last year, Casino Morongo celebrated the return of bingo on April 1 with a grand re-opening in a new bingo room. The casino also opened a new poker room which was ... Read more Second California Sports Betting Measure Qualifies for November Ballot May 12, 2022 - A mobile sports betting measure received enough signatures last week to qualify as a choice on California's November ballot. The measure titled "Californians for Solutions to Homelessness ... Read more Update: California sports betting battle on Nov ballot April 23, 2022 - California voters will decide whether to legalize sports betting and who will control it in this year's November 8 election. Although most of the ballot initiatives are still seeking signatures to qualify for ... Read more Agua Caliente Job Fair seeks 100 new employees April 10, 2022 - The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians will hold a job event this month to fill 100 vacancies for their casinos in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City. Hirees will receive health and dental plans, free ... Read more Morongo Casino's The Marketplace by Fabio Viviani opens in April 2022 March 15, 2022 - Next month Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa replace the former Potrero Canyon Buffet with a new dining concept named The Marketplace by Fabio Viviani. ... Read more Fantasy Springs Casino reopens The Rock Yard March 10, 2022 - Fantasy Springs Resort Casino will reopen The Rock Yard Friday night March 11. The outdoor music venue will host free concerts with capacity for about 1,500 guests. A permanent stage has been added to ... Read more Jamul Casino launches new high-limit rooms March 8, 2022 - Jamul Casino has undergone several changes and additions since opening in 2016. The latest is the upgrading and relaunching of three high-limit gaming rooms: High Limit Slot Room, High Limit Asian Games ... Read more Morongo Casino schedules job fairs March 3, 8, 10, 23 March 2, 2022 - Morongo Casino Resort is hosting a series of job fairs in March and offering $1,000 hiring bonus to new employees to their culinary team. The open positions include cashiers, hosts, food & beverage ... Read more CNIGA supports latest mobile sports betting measure for 2022 ballot February 24, 2022 - The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) announced support last week for the latest California sports betting initiative seeking signatures for the 2022 ballot. ... Read more Yaamava' Resort & Casino: Construction Time-Lapse Video 2018-2021 February 12, 2022 - This time-lapse video shows the $550 million construction project that began in 2018 to expand San Manuel Casino with an onsite hotel, a larger casino and a new event center. ... Read more Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs opens 360 Sports January 14, 2022 - Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs opened a new sports bar on Jan. 7. The venue is named 360 Sports, a sports bar concept already operating at the two other Agua Caliente Casinos in Rancho ... Read more Yaamava' Casino will add large entertainment venue in 2022 January 6, 2022 - Following the 2021 openings of a 17-story hotel tower , new restaurants and more casino space, Yaamava' Resort & Casino will complete its 4-year, $550 million expansion program during the first ... Read more

2021

Yaamava' Resort & Casino Celebrates Grand 0pening Today (Dec 13) December 13, 2021 - Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel celebrated its grand opening today. The event follows the completion of a $550M expansion of the former San Manuel Casino that began ... Read more Yaamava' Casino at San Manuel sets grand opening of new hotel on Dec. 13 November 30, 2021 - San Manuel Indians have set Dec. 13th for the grand opening celebration of its new resort hotel at Yaamava' Resort and Casino at San Manuel. The 17-floor hotel tower features ... Read more Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City celebrates first anniversary November 19, 2021 - Agua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City is celebrating its one-year anniversary through the end of November with special music events scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 24. ... Read more Pechanga Named '2021 Best Casino West of Vegas' - USA Today October 27, 2021 - Pechanga Resort Casino has been named 'Best Casino West of Vegas' by USA Today in this year's 10 Best readers poll. Pechanga also ranked in the top four in two other categories against ... Read more Sycuan Casino Resort Wins Five 2021 Casino Awards October 8, 2021 - Sycuan Casino Resort is the winner in five categories of this year's Reader's Choice poll taken by the Southern California Gaming Guide. The publication has taken this poll every year since 2003. ... Read more Jamul Casino Will Celebrate 5th Anniversary October 7, 2021 - Jamul Casino is celebrating a successful first five years this weekend with several public and private events. Since opening in 2016, Jamul Casino has developed into a leading casino and entertainment ... Read more Pechanga Resort Casino is Nominated for Two National Readers' Awards October 3, 2021 - USA Today has nominated Pechanga Resort Casino for two categories in this year's 10Best.com annual readers' poll. The categories are "Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas" and ... Read more "2021 Best Southern California Casino" by OC Register September 29, 2021 - This week the Orange Country Register published its 2021 Best Southern California Casino as selected by readers of the newspaper. The best casino is found in the Register's annual readers poll ... Read more San Manuel changes name to Yaamava' Resort Casino September 26, 2021 - As San Manuel prepares to open its first onsite hotel soon plus a new event center in early 2022, the casino has changed its name to Yaamava' Resort Casino. "Yaamava" means "spring season" ... Read more Viejas Casino Celebrates 30th Anniversary! September 18, 2021 - Viejas Casino opened on September 13, 1991. That day was Friday the 13th and a day of good fortune for the Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay Indians. Through the next thirty years, Viejas ... Read more 2021 Best Casinos of Inland Empire: The Press-Enterprise September 14, 2021 - Readers of The Press-Enterprise have selected the 2021 Best Inland Empire Casinos in this year's reader' choice voting. This is the 26th Annual Readers' Choice contest conducted ... Read more California sports betting initiative qualifies for Nov 8, 2022 ballot September 7, 2021 - A ballot measure titled "California Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative" has qualified for the election ballot on Nov. 8, 2022. If passed by voters, the measure will amend ... Read more San Manuel breaks ground on San Manuel Landing August 11, 2021 - The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians broke ground last week on a 1.1 million-square-foot warehousing facility at the site of the former Norton Air Force Base. The San Manuel Landing project ... Read more Morongo Casino opens Wahlburgers restaurant July 29, 2021 - Morongo is the first tribal casino to open a Wahlburgers burger restaurant and bar. The restaurant is owned by actor Mark Wahlberg and his two brothers, actor Donnie and chef Paul. ... Read more Barstow Casino plan revived by Chemehuevi Tribe July 28, 2021 - The City of Barstow, California and the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe have negotiated an updated Municipal Services Agreement (MSA) to compensate the City for additional services costs that will be ... Read more San Manuel Casino grand opening tour of the expanded casino July 27, 2021 - San Manuel Casino became the largest casino in California and on the West Coast Saturday when it opened its new 2-floor casino expansion during its 35th anniversary ... Read more Havasu Landing Casino reinstates COVID protocols July 26, 2021 - Havasu Landing Casino at California's Lake Havasu was shut down earlier this week to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The casino reopened July 23, 2021 after reinstating COVID protocols and ... Read more San Manuel becomes California's largest casino today on its 35th anniversary July 24, 2021 - Today San Manuel Casino is celebrating its 35th anniversary by opening its new expanded casino. The expansion includes two new floors of gaming space adding 1,300 new slots ... Read more Harrah's Resort SoCal replacing buffet with Gordon Ramsay's Hell Kitchen July 16, 2021 - A new Hell's Kitchen restaurant will replace The Buffet at Harrah's Resort Southern California. The former buffet was closed permanently due to the COVID-19 pand ... Read more San Manuel Casino opens expansion July 24, 2021 July 8, 2021 - San Manuel will open its new casino expansion on July 24, 2021, which is also its 35th anniversary since opening in 1986. Construction of the larger gaming floor began in July 2018. The new space adds ... Read more Morongo Casino hosts job fair June 16 June 10, 2021 - The Morongo Band of Mission Indians announced Monday the Morongo Casino Resort will host a hiring event June 16 from 10AM to 1PM. The casino is seeking applicants to fill nearly 150 positions in a variety of ... Read more California voters will decide sports betting measure in Nov 2022 June 9, 2021 - An 18-tribe coalition has successfully submitted enough qualified voter signatures to add a sports betting referendum to the California election ballot in Nov 2022. The announcement ... Read more Which Southern California casinos have ended buffets? June 5, 2021 - Many of the Indian gaming casinos in Southern California have permanently closed their buffets following the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have quietly removed the buffets from their websites. ... Read more Pechanga Casino reopens hotel, spa and pool today May 20, 2021 - Pechanga Resort Casino reopened its hotel today after closing 14 months ago due to COVID-19. The reopening includes the Spa Pechanga and The Cove pool complex. The casino and restaurants ... Read more San Manuel will buy Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas May 9, 2021 - The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will buy the Palm Casino making it the first Native American owner of a Las Vegas casino. The tribe will be the second to operate a casino in Las Vegas ... Read more San Manuel's casino expansion opens in July May 5, 2021 - Another phase of the $550 million expansion at San Manuel Casino will open in July adding two more floors of gaming space with 1,300 more slot machines, 40 more table games and a fifth high-limit room. ... Read more San Manuel Casino opens recruitment center at Ontario Mills May 4, 2021 - To help San Manuel Casino Resort hire 2,500 new employees over the next six months, the casino has opened a recruitment center inside Ontario Mills shopping center. The office is open Mon ... Read more Soboba Crossroads construction underway after pandemic delay April 21, 2021 - The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians is building a shopping center named Soboba Crossroads across from the entrance to Soboba Casino. The project is scheduled to open late this year ... Read more Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage celebrates 20 years April 13, 2021 - On April 6th the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage celebrated its 20th anniversary with FREE PLAY promotions, free t-shirts and complementary foods and beverages. Since 2021 ... Read more Tribes are devastated after one year of COVID-19 March 18, 2021 - As the Covid-19 pandemic began spreading across our nation last year, its impact became the most deadly in our tribal communities. Tribal economies also collapsed as casinos were shut down ... Read more Spotlight 29 Casino opens new Taproom 29 February 21, 2021 - Spotlight 29 has replaced its Capitata Buffet space with a new brewpub named Taproom 29. Although the brewpub is already open, a formal grand opening will be celebrated on March 1st. ... Read more Pala Casino is reopening Pala Cafe after major remodel and Grab & Go addition February 21, 2021 - Pala Casino Spa Resort is completing a total remodel and update to its popular Pala Cafe, which originally opened in 2001. The $4.5 million remodel brings an all-new design ... Read more San Manuel Plans Virtual Career Expo March 29-31, 2021 March 21, 2021 - The San Manuel Casino Resort will hold a second three-day Virtual Career Expo on March 29-31 as part San Manuel's plan to add 2,000 new employees during 2021. The new hirees will increase the ... Read more San Manuel Virtual Career Expo Feb 18, 2021 February 15, 2021 - The San Manuel Casino will host a virtual hiring fair on Thursday Feb 18 between 9 AM to 4 PM. This is first of a series online hiring events planned for the next 10 months as San Manuel seeks to hire 2,000 full-time ... Read more Sycuan Casino receives Forbes & Sharecare health security verification February 12, 2021 - Sycuan Casino Resort has been Sharecare health security verified with Forbes Travel Guide. The casino, hotel and Singing Hills Golf Resort are included in the certification. ... Read more San Manuel Casino Expansion Update 2021 February 6, 2021 - San Manuel Casino Resort continues its massive expansion project on schedule to add more gaming space by this summer, an onsite hotel by end of year and a new entertainment venue in 2022. ... Read more Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage will open fuel station with slot machines in Summer 2021 January 21, 2021 - The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians announced this week that construction is underway in Rancho Mirage for a fuel station with slot machines, a Beer Cave, ... Read more San Manuel Casino is 'health security verified' January 11, 2021 - A press release today announced that San Manuel Casino is one of the first entertainment venues in the world to become Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide. ... Read more

2020

New Year's Eve at Southern California casinos December 27, 2020 - New Year 2021 celebrations are different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most Southern California Indian casinos have limited their guest capacity and toned down events. Several have canceled all ... Read more California Tribes gather enough signatures to put sports betting on 2022 ballot December 24, 2020 - California tribes through the Coalition to Authorize Sports Wagering have submitted 1.4 million signatures to the state to place a sports betting measure on the Nov. 8, 2022 ballot. ... Read more California Indian Casinos remain open during COVID-19 stay-at-home order December 18, 2020 - Californians are under a 3 week stay-at-home order to fight the surging number of COVID-19 cases that is consuming an alarming amount of hospital ICU capacity. The state ... Read more Morongo will be first California casino with cashless wagering December 6, 2020 - Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa will soon introduce the first cashless wagering program in California, as well as becoming the first Indian casino in the nation to offer cashless slot markers. ... Read more Agua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City is now open! November 28, 2020 - Surprise! The new Agua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City opened to the public on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The 30,000-square-foot casino is the third owned by the Agua ... Read more Chumash casino enhances COVID-19 safety program November 21, 2020 - Chumash Casino will remain open with tighter safety practices as Santa Barbara County returns to the the highest-level, purple COVID-19 safety protocols. ... Read more Barona Resort & Casino cancels New Year's celebrations due to COVID-19 November 11, 2020 - Barona Resort & Casino announced the cancellation of its annual New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ... Read more San Manuel holds Topping Off ceremony for hotel under construction November 10, 2020 - San Manuel Band of Mission Indian celebrated the placing of the final steel beam atop a new, 17-story hotel under construction at San Manuel Casino. The hotel will open in late ... Read more San Manuel Casino announces new timelines on $500M expansion November 9, 2020 - San Manuel began construction in July 2018 on a $500M espansion project to add an onsite hotel, an event center, and a larger gambling space. New timelines for completion were ... Read more Fantasy Springs Resort Casino reopens bingo October 25, 2020 - On Friday Fantasy Springs Resort Casino reopened bingo after temporarily shutting it down last March for the COVID-19 pandemic. Player capacity is limited to 50% for social distancing, and masks are ... Read more Pechanga Resort Casino named Best Casino 2020 September 26, 2020 - The Press Enterprise recognized Pechanga Resort Casino as the Best Casino in Southern California in this year's annual Best of Inland Empire awards. Second place went to San Manuel Casino and third place to Soboba Casino Resort. ... Read more First Preview of New Aqua Caliente Pavilion September 18, 2020 - Aqua Caliente Pavilion will be a 12,000-square-foot, live event center at the new Aqua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City, CA. It will host live entertainment, special events and private parties. ... Read more Southern California Casino News Archive ...

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