The Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians are partnering with Caesars Entertainment to build Harrah’s Northern California Casino in Amador County, 30 miles from Sacramento, the state capital.
Caesars announced it would manage the property for the tribe. It has a similar arrangement with the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians in San Diego County, where it operates Harrah’s Southern California Resort. Caesars also operates tribal casinos in Arizona and South Carolina.
The $168 million casino will have a 25,000 square foot gaming area, 850 slots and 20 table games, one full service and three more casual restaurants for a total area of 71,000 square feet. Construction has begun with a scheduled 2019 opening.
The Me-Wuk tribe has a 68-acre reservation. The federal government recognized the tribe in 1985. The updated 2016 tribal state gaming compact allows the tribe to operate as many as 2,000 machines. It will pay $8 million a year in gaming revenue to the state.
The will be the tribe’s first casino, but it won’t be the first tribal casino for Amador County, where Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort has operated for many years, and which currently has 1,700 slots and 38 table games.
Caesar CEO Mark Frissora said in a statement, “This agreement with the Buena Vista Gaming Authority advances our growth strategy to expand the reach of our brands into new markets and reinforces our over 20-year history working with tribal partners.” He added, “We expect our Harrah’s brand and Total Rewards network to increase the earnings potential of the property while generating incremental revenue for Caesars Entertainment without significant capital investment.”
Tribal Chairman Rhonda Morningstar Pope-Flores said in a statement, “Harrah’s is a world-class brand that is known for offering a fun gaming atmosphere with unparalleled customer service. We’re confident that it will attract more people to our destination.”
This announcement comes at the end of a decade of battles between the tribe and Amador County, which went to federal court to try to stop the “off-reservation” casino. Amador County is sparsely populated; with 38,000 residents, and the county government has opposed having two casinos in this rural area.
A federal judge in 2016 did not agree with the County that the land owned by the tribe wasn’t a legal reservation or that the Bureau of Indian Affairs didn’t have the authority to take it into trust.
The project’s financing and construction plans or other details still have not been released.
Caesars Entertainment exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year. To finance its expansion, it sold Harrah’s Las Vegas to VICI Properties for $1.14 billion.
VICI Properties is a real estate trust that was formed as part of the bankruptcy, and whose largest shareholders are creditors of the gaming giant. They will lease it back to Caesars for $87.4 million annually.
With its new ready cash Caesars acquired two racinos in Indiana and cut a deal with the city of New Orleans to expand the Harrah’s New Orleans in exchange for extending the company’s monopoly there for another three decades. Caesars will also be building two resorts in Dubai and hopes to build an integrated resort in Japan if that country finally lifts its restrictions against gaming.
