The Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, California which closed abruptly November 9 during a raid by one of three factions fighting to control the Chukchansi tribe, says it will redeem the slot tickets and gaming chips that hundreds of patrons took with them when they fled the casino.
It will be open for several hours this week for that purpose. Those who lost chips create a more complicated problem, but in most cases the surveillance cameras will be able to identify those people.
The casino has been closed since then under orders of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and a federal judge. There is no schedule for reopening it.
Although there are efforts to reconcile the factions, the casino remains closed. Last week was the first time that the casino said it would honor its commitments to its patrons. It will also allow people to claim items they left behind during the confusion. The patrons took about 5,000 tickets out of the casino. The management has also identified some patrons through their player’s cards and is sending them checks.
Casino General Manager Griffen Tan made the announcement. “We understand that Chukchansi’s patrons who left the casino with chips or vouchers have many questions left unanswered as a result of the state-ordered closure of the resort, not the least of which is ‘how can I get my money back,’ “ he said. “We are implementing a plan to redeem chips and vouchers by the end of the year.”
