Wilton Rancheria in California’s Sacramento County is putting the brakes on its proposed casino, which would be the first Indian casino to open near the state capitol.
As of 2019 tribal Chairman Raymond Hitchcock had said the tribe was looking at opening the casino in late 2020, but now he says there needs to be a redesign of “a few areas,” which will delay the opening. He added that the project is now “back on track.”
Last week the chairman told the Elk Grove Citizen, “As far as an update on timing, we’re most likely waiting for the spring to hit, so we’re not in the wet season, because we have in-ground infrastructure. And it’s an 18-month construction process. So, if you do the math, that’s late 2021 for opening for the project.”
The tribe is building the casino on 35.9 acres in Elk Grove along Highway 99 in partnership with Boyd Gaming. Once construction begins it will generate 1,600 temporary jobs. There will be about 1,750 permanent jobs when it is completed.
The $500 million casino will have a hotel, meeting space, dining and retail shops. The number of slot machines and table hasn’t yet been disclosed.
In the background is a legal challenge that Hitchcock dismisses as “white noise,” the appeal by the casino watchdog Stand Up for California of the decision that dismissed its motion seeking to prevent the 35.6 acres from being put into trust.
