San Diego’s Jamul Tribe, despite predictions that it would not prosper once it severed its ties with Penn National, just advertised for more than 30 job openings.
The tribe was quick to remove the Hollywood sign from the casino that Penn built on the tiny Jamul Village reservation when Penn handed over the keys in May.
The casino opened in late 2016 in a remote part of San Diego County, 20 miles from downtown San Diego, just off Highway 94. At the time Penn conceded to shareholders that it had no expectation of ever collecting its outstanding loan to the tribe. Penn spent $460 million building the casino on the tiny six acre reservation, a project that required much of the building to be underground. It ended up still being owed $48 million by the tribe.
The casino opening was the culmination of 15 years of efforts by the tribe, fought every step of the way by many Jamul residents.
The Jamul Indian Village Development Corp. is now in charge of operating the casino. Jamul Chairman Erica Pinto told the San Diego Reader, “The casino project is continuing to thrive, and despite the management transition, there have been absolutely no layoffs,” adding “The casino continues to add members to its growing team.”
San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, a Jamul resident who has opposed the casino for more than a decade, marked the departure of Penn by declaring on her Facebook page, that the casino had been “a disaster from the get-go.” She scoffed that the tribe wouldn’t be able to do better than Penn at operating the casino. The supervisor, retiring at the end of this month, remains the casino’s most vocal critic.
Pinto disagreed, and called the transition, “a natural next step toward economic self-sufficiency” adding “We are proud that the casino has been such a success that we can make this transition so soon after the casino opened.”
