The Morongo Band of Mission Indians in California reopened its original casino with an expansion and new amenities, including a new bingo hall and 300 slots. The original casino opened in 1995.
The action takes place concurrently with the expansion of Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa, which is adding 65,000 square feet. While that is happening 300 of the older machines were moved to the original building.
The second casino opened in 2004 and the older building has been used for bowling and bingo and the occasional event. According to Simon Farmer, marketing director, “We are absolutely recognizing it as a separate casino.”
Tribal Chairman Robert Martin hailed the operation of two separate facilities as a milestone to a tribe that has created thousands of jobs over the decades. “We’ve come a long way since the days of the modest tribal bingo hall we operated in the 1980s” said the chairman.
