Now that the steel framing is complete on the Soboba Casino replacement project, the workers are moving inward to install conduit, power sources and all of the utility wiring that most customers will never see.
The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians celebrated a topping off ceremony two weeks ago. The three final I-beams, all-white and signed by tribal members, administration employees and casino employees, were lowered onto the structure.
Currently about 175 construction workers are laboring on the project.
Soon they will begin to add more concrete work, plus mechanical and plumbing.
The casino resort is located near San Jacinto and Hemet in Southern California.
The replacement casino and resort is being built on 37.5 acres west of the current casino, which is a tent structure without lodgings. Plans are to open the new resort late next year.
The expansion is being carried out by the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians. It includes a six-story hotel and a swimming pool that will be adjacent to the golf course.
According to Soboba Casino General Manager Scott Sirois, the golf course, being redesigned by well-known course architect Cary Bickler will include the addition of a Signature Island green.
He commented, “This addition will enhance an already outstanding course.”
Regional Expansion
The Soboba expansion is part of a Southern California casino “arms race” where some of the largest casinos in the Golden State are in some cases doubling the size of their properties.
The purpose of all of these expansions is to tap the 27% of the 43 million who visit Las Vegas who hail from California and keep them in their home state as much as possible. And, of course, they are all competing against each other for the largest piece of that pie.
As part of their strategy, California gaming tribes also stand athwart government efforts to build high speed rail between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and yell “stop!” as vehemently as possible.
Katherine Spilde, director of the Sycuan Institute on Government Gaming for San Diego State University, told the Press-Enterprise “For Native American tribes, expanding their Inland casinos seems like a sure bet.” She added, “These are actually more than just refreshing. These are brand new footprints.”
In Riverside County, Pechanga Resort & Casino’s $285 million expansion that includes a 14-story hotel tower, which held a soft opening December 22, took the gaming giant from possibly the largest in the Golden State to certainly the largest.
It will have a 200,000-square-foot casino, 100,000-SF indoor event and meeting space, 174,500-SF outdoor event and meeting space, 13 restaurants, 13 pools and spa and a 25,000 SF spa. Its Summit Event Center will have a 40,000 SF ballroom.
Spilde, whose university offers the only four-year degree in tribal casino management, said the tribes are attempting to cater to a sophisticated audience who want more than the latest slot machines. “The tribes are really responding to a mature tourist market,” she said.
That’s a long journey from the 1980s when tribes in Southern California won a series of key legal victories that allowed them to first install bingo halls and then, after voters approved of Las Vegas style gaming in 1999, to challenge Nevada at its own game.
Today, many of the casinos have evolved into “integrated resorts,” a resort where gaming is just one of many experiences the visitor can enjoy, such as retail shopping, dining and entertainment. At an integrated resort visitors can plan their entire vacation around activities at the resort.
Gaming is still a key element, says Spilde, and sometimes gaming subsidizes the other elements. “That’s the engine. Certainly, we hope that every expanded amenity stands on its own and generates its own profits. But, even in Las Vegas and other markets, sometimes the gaming has to subsidize part of the other businesses,” she told the Press Enterprise.
At Pechanga, the new hotel adds 568 rooms, for a total of 1,090 rooms. The resort will have a 40,000-square foot event center and a two-floor spa, with a pool complex that will offer poolside bar service, that will open this spring. It will also add the Lobby Bar Bistro.
In San Diego County, Pala Casino Spa and Resort, Pechanga’s closest neighbor, and the one that feels its competition the most keenly, broke ground recently on a 2 ½ year $170 million project that will also provide the integrated resort experience.
Pala CEO Bill Bembenek told the Press-Enterprise that Pala is building a new hotel tower that will increase the rooms from 507 to 854. It is also adding a new pool complex and spa and expand the parking structure. The first phase of the expansion is expected to be completed next summer, with the grand opening of the new pool complex in May. The entire project is planned for completion in May 2019.
The Coachella Valley, home of Palm Springs and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ original casino, and its second casino, the Agua Caliente Casino Resort. The tribe operated a hotel and spa at the hot springs until 2014 when it closed. Several months ago, the tribe announced its plans to build a large cultural area, a new spa and bathhouse—with plans to break ground early next year.
The tribe is also studying expanding into the downtown area and to build a mixed-use development that will include another casino in Cathedral City.
Last month the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians broke ground on a $550 million project that includes, of course, a hotel tower with 500 rooms—its first—an arena that can seat up to 4,000, and a larger casino. The project is looking at a 2020 completion date.
Integrated resorts typically have high recognition chefs or celebrity restaurants. San Manuel recently repurposed its bingo hall into dining with names like Gene Simmons’ Rock & Brews and George Lopez’s Chingon Kitchen.
The Viejas Casino and Resort in Alpine, less than 30 minutes away from downtown San Diego, is towards the tail-end of its construction of a new “boutique” hotel with 159 adult-only suites. The new hotel will open in January. It will have a salt water pool and three new restaurants.
Sycuan Casino near El Cajon, San Diego County, is in the midst of a $226 million expansion that includes a 12-story, 300-room hotel and a water park with a “lazy river,” which is one of the more popular features popping up amidst casino resort additions. This project is looking at a 2019 completion date.
Valley View Casino, in Valley Center, San Diego County in October released plans for a $50 million expansion, where 42,000 square feet will be added to the casino, plus more dining. This year-long project is slated to begin next April.
