Page 4 - June 2002 • Southern California Gaming Guide

THE SAN DIEGO GAMING GUIDE
La Jolla Band Opens 9th S.D. County Casino
The La Jolla Band of Mission Indians opened San Diego County’s ninth casino on May 20th with a celebration that included music, food, and a traditional blessing by neighboring Tribal Chairman, Chris Devers of the Pauma Band of
Luiseño Mission Indians.
The 15-by-40 foot arcade in the La Jolla Trading Post, the tribe’s gas stop and mini-mart, has 30 of the latest Las Vegas-style slot machines. “We’re small, but mighty!” declared Trading Post manager and chairwoman of the tribe’s gaming committee, Mitzi Magante. The mini-casino is the smallest in the state.
Slots in the arcade include the new versions of the popular The Price is RightTM, including PlinkoTM and CliffhangerTM, along with other popular reel and video slots, plus multi-denomination and multi-play video poker. Slot denominations range from nickels to one-dollar machines.
The La Jolla Indian Reservation straddles North County Highway 76 at the foot of Mount Palomar, about 25 miles northeast of Escondido in some of
the county’s most spectacular scenery. The tribe has operated the 2,400-acre La Jolla Indian Camp- ground since the 1940’s. Campground facilities include a the trading post (mini-mart), a water slide, rafting, stables with horseback riding, an RV lot and an off-road recreational driving track. The Trading Post serves hot and cold food, sandwiches and bever- ages, plus has available goods for campers. Long a favorite camping spot for many in the county, the La Jolla Tribe hopes the slot arcade will keep summer campers on their reservation campground playing their own slots instead of watching them drive down the mountain to the four neighboring casinos.
Wendy Schlater, Chairwoman of the La Jolla Band indicated that revenue from the arcade will help
La Jolla Band Tribal Secretary Theda Molina, at the opening of the La Jolla Reservation Slot Arcade
provide improvements for the reservation’s roads and education and other facilities for the tribe’s 650 members. About half of the La Jolla tribe’s members live on the reservation. The tribe funded and will manage the slot arcade by itself.
The arcade is open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and is open 24 hours from 7 a.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Sunday.
San Diego Company’s New Games at Sho-Ka-Wah Casino
Innovations in Native-American Gaming Inc. (INAG), a local San Diego County company, announced the placement of their craps and roulette-style games at the Sho-Ka-Wah Casino innorthernCaliforniaonMay20th.ThegamesoriginallydebutedattheCaliforniaNations Indian Gaming Association conferences in 2001 and 2002. At the 2002 conference, the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians contracted with INAG to be the rst tribe to offer Native American “SPARC” and Volcanic Single-Ball Bingo (VSSB) to California gamers.
The games look and feel like regular craps and roulette, but no dice or wheels are used. “SPARC” (craps spelled backwards) is played on a cof n-style table with a modi ed craps layout. Mounted next to each dealer are custom-made lottery devices (blower units) with six balls numbered 1–6 inside. After all bets are placed, the box man activates the lottery units to mix the balls. One ball from each unit falls into the ball calling chamber. Video cameras at the top of the chambers capture and display the selected balls so that players can easily see the
outcome. The total of both balls are used to determine the action taken on the table.
VSSB is played on a standard nine-foot roulette table with standard roulette layout—
without the wheel (wheels and dice are not permitted in California Tribal gaming). The lottery device in VSSB contains 38 balls that correspond to the numbers on the layout. Players place bets (14 basic bets are available) and the balls are mixed. A video camera captures the winning number and displays it on the monitor at the top of the game sign. The dealer acts on all bets, taking the losing bets rst, then paying the winning bets. INAG says this game is faster than a roulette game, so get ready for some real excitement.
Audubon International Awards Barona Creek Golf Course Bronze Sanctuary Certification
Audubon International has awarded Barona Creek Golf Club the pres- tigious Bronze Signature Sanctuary Certi cation for its conservation, envi- ronmental quality, and land management efforts in developing its golf course. The award is the third achieved by Barona Creek Golf Club in recent weeks, including its recognition as one of Golf Magazine’s “Top 10 New Golf Courses in the Nation” and ranking as the #4 golf course in California by Golfweek Magazine.
“Throughout the planning and development stages of the golf course, we were dedicated to conserving the beauty and environmental balance of our land,” said Clifford LaChappa, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. “Our partnership with Audubon International in developing our Natural Resource Management Plan and our Bronze Signature Sanctuary status guarantees the sustainability of the golf course and surrounding land for generations.”
“It has been a pleasure for Audubon International to work with the Barona Band of Mission Indians on the Barona Creek Golf Club project,” said Nancy Richardson, Audubon International Signature Program Director.
Construction on the new Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino continues. The new casino facility (left) and 400-room resort hotel (right) will be ready for an early 2003 opening.
Page 4 June 2002
San Diego Gaming News