It has been nearly a year since the San Diego County-based Jamul Indian Village took over management of its casino from Penn National Gaming, which built and opened the casino in 2016 as Hollywood Jamul, only to turn it over to the tribe, which renamed it Jamul Casino. The tribe was left with a $94 million debt to Penn.
The casino is not one of the mega-Indian casino resorts that populate San Diego County. It doesn’t have a hotel, for instance. But it is helping the tribe to achieve financial independence.
The tribe fought for more than ten years to open the casino on what has been described as its “postage stamp” four-acre reservation about 20 miles from San Diego. The land is in San Diego’s Backcountry, and the casino was fought tooth and nail by many residents, who feared it would compromise the rural atmosphere. They haven’t completely given up, as the hand painted “no casino” signs that dot the landscape can attest.
Despite the small footprint the casino offers 1,700 slots, 50 gaming tables, a poker room, a food court and eight restaurants, including a Tony Gwynn-theme sports bar. It provides employment for about 1,000 people, making it the largest employer in East County.
Jamul Tribal Chairman Erica M. Pinto told CDC Gaming Reports “From day one it was always our intent to control our future by managing our property and economic ventures.” She added, “It took us more than two decades to open and operate our casino. We are very proud that with tribal gaming, we have been able to create new opportunities for our people and the entire state of California.”
The property has faced challenges since Penn left the scene, challenges described by Union Gaming Group analyst John DeCree, who was interviewed by CDC Gaming Reports: “It’s a competitive market, and often quite promotional, which makes it difficult for a new property to ramp,” he said. “Jamul had its challenges out of the gate, but it is a well-built and solid gaming product, it’s just going to take some time to ramp.”
It sits amidst one of the most competitive Indian gaming markets in existence, one which encompasses much of Southern California. Eight tribal casinos have spent an estimated $1.5 billion in recent years on upgrades and expansions. The largest was by the largest Indian casino on the West Coast, Pechanga, which spent $300 million.
The Jamul casino doesn’t focus on the amenities that these casinos focus on. Its focus is gaming. According to Mary Cheeks, who took over as CEO after Penn departed, Jamul Casino is “gaming focused, but customer focused” and a “beautiful boutique casino” where the guests know the staff and many are on a first name basis. “We are able to focus on our guest preferences and provide excellent customer service,” she told CDC Gaming Reports.
Since Jamul doesn’t have a hotel, it works to fine tune its food and beverage customer service for venues such as its Prime Cut steakhouse, the Coffee Shop and the Jamul Trading Company, which are all part of the Sweetwater Rewards loyalty program.
Despite its small size, Pinto says they are contemplating adding a 200-room hotel. But first the four acre plot next to the casino would have to be taken into trust. “We at Jamul are open minded and innovative, so we would consider expansion when the time is right,” she said. “We prefer to keep our options open, as long as it includes a barber shop! I think a barber shop would be pretty cool.
