The desert is proving conducive to casino expansions, just as it does to flowers after a rain. Two casinos in Palm Springs are expanding and two Riverside County properties are adding hotels.
Some experts assert that Southern California is currently the most dynamic casino market outside of Las Vegas itself.
According to the independent site 500nations.com, 45 percent of the state’s slots are located in either Riverside or San Diego counties. The Golden State’s casino revenues are at $9 billion, which is about 25 percent of the industry’s total.
Here’s a quick list of the casinos in that market that are expanding.
Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa will be adding a new 300-room hotel tower to its existing 340 rooms. Ground breaking is early 2019. This gives it a leg up over its nearest competitor Morongo Casino Resort and Spa. The casino is also adding 200 new machines.
Michael Facenda, vice president of marketing, told the Union-Tribune: “We’re excited to unveil a brand new, elevated Agua Caliente experience,” said Michael Facenda, the casino’s vice president of marketing. “Our target is to satisfy everybody’s needs.”
Among the additions will be Pivat: an indoor-outdoor cigar lounge with plush, leather chairs of the sink-into variety, curated bites from the Steakhouse and a long list of single malt scotches. Pivat also has a cocktail program designed to pair cigars with their optimal beverage.
New amenities include the Grandstand sports pub, Grand Palms Buffett, serving Mexican, Asian and New York-style deli, a concert theater dubbed Club Mezz/The Show, and finally the only live poker room in the area, remodeled with a new high limit lounge.
The Spa Resort Casino, sister property of the Agua Caliente, has plans to expand in the downtown area of Palm Springs. No details are available yet, except that the project will break ground in five months and be completed by 2020. The facility, when finished, will include one of the largest Indian museums in the U.S.
The Morongo Casino Resort & Spa broke ground on an expansion in October that will increase the casino’s floor by 30 percent, adding 800 slots to the existing 3,000 and an unnamed number of new tables.
The original Casino Morongo, once the Morongo Bingo Hall, will host 300 slots that are being moved because of the construction.
The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians broke ground about a year ago on a six-story expansion near its existing San Jacinto casino, near Hemet. This expansion is expected to be completed early next year and will include a 200-room hotel, casino with 2,000 machines and 32 tables, dining, a sports bar, high limit room and entertainment venue.
Cahuilla Casino will be adding its first hotel and permanent casino, which currently operates in a tent-like structure. The building will include a 57-room hotel. Construction began in October and will take about a year.
