Page 7 - August 2002 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Golden Acorn Casino TCelebrates First Anniversary
he Campo Band of the Kumeyaay Nation will celebrate the rst anniversary of the opening of Golden Acorn Casino on August 15th. Golden Acorn Casino is in Campo, off the I-8,
55 miles east of San Diego.
In addition to having 750 of the newest slot machines and 15 tables of Blackjack,
Pai Gow and poker, Golden Acorn has the region’s only full-service truck stop at the Golden Acorn Casino and Travel Center. The center has 96 truck spaces, a conve- nience store, eight diesel pumps, seven showers and six washing machines and dryers. The lounge has a 200-channel satellite TV, easy chairs, four phones with data ports and a monitor screen for the display of truck loads awaiting pickup and delivery.
Truck stops are not common throughout California. The casino and travel center has an average of 20-50 big rigs in its lot each night. The Campo Band also has plans for a hotel that will allow guests to stay overnight in the future.
Augustine Casino Opens in
Inland Empire
One of California’s smallest tribes, the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Mis- sion Indians, opened the Inland Empire’s tenth casino in southern Riverside County on Thursday, July 18th. The tribe’s reservation of about 500 acres of land in the Coachella Valley was uninhabited for years after diseases diminished its population in the 1950’s. The remaining adult member moved to her tribal land and now lives on the reservation with her three children and four nieces and nephews. With a population of one adult tribal member and seven children eligible for tribal membership, the Augustine Band is one of the smallest tribes in the nation to operate a casino.
Hundreds attended the $16 million Augustine Casino opening, includ- ing local tribal members of nearby casinos and the public. Located in rural Coachella, the Augustine Casino is a modestly-sized (32,000 sq. ft.) attractive casino with 349 slot machines and 10 blackjack and poker tables. Managed by Paragon Gaming of Las Vegas, the casino focuses on delivering a bygone expe- rience of intimate customer service. The casino has a snack and coffee shop, a restaurant called Café 54, free valet parking and a player’s club called Augustine Gold. Alcohol is not currently served, but a license has been applied for.
The tribe marks its rst anniversary with a celebration planned for August 14th. Golden Acorn Casino’s Anniversary promotions run from August 14th through August 18th.
Golden Acorn Casino and Travel Center in Campo California celebrates its rst anniversary in August. See Players Club Promotions on page 15 for details and events.
Polls and Studies Reveal New Information About Casino Gamblers
A recently released report by Harrah’s Entertainment, called “Pro le of the American Casino Gambler,” indicates that the typical casino gamer is middle-aged, more likely to be female and holds a white-collar job, is better educated and has a household income much higher than the average American.
The 34-page report is based on two nationwide studies: the Roper Reports, and the U.S. Gaming Panel. Roper facilitated face-to-face, in-home interviews to a nationwide sample of 2,000 men and women, 18 years of age and older. The U.S. Gaming Panel, conducted by NFO WorldGroup, Inc. mailed a survey questionnaire to a panel of 100,000 adults
21 years of age or older. The survey generated 66,283 respondents.
More than 50 million people visited casinos last year. These people tended to have
higher incomes, paid their bills on time, had more hobbies and are more civic-minded than non-gamers.
California gamers have a 37.9% participation rate, with an average of ve trips a year to a casino.
Harrah’s has been a leader in supporting responsible gaming throughout the casino industry. Most recently, Harrah’s launched the industry’s rst broadcast advertising cam- paign to promote responsible gaming and increase the number of toll-free help lines.
New Games in
Southern California
Ms. Little Green MenTM, is a 5-reel, 9-line, 45-coin version of the origi- nal, earth-shaking game. Slot symbols include animated planets, road signs, aliens and spaceships, plus tantalizing
bonus and scatter pay symbols. There’s even an animated “shop till you drop” symbol, that reveals the playful little Ms. Alien’s real motives. Bonus rounds
include Abduct an Earthling BonusTM and Zap ‘Em BonusTM. Comical sound effects heap fun on top of the winning!
Chase the RoyalTM
Get ready for this new and exciting varia- tion of Triple PlayTM, Five PlayTM/Ten Play Draw PokerTM. When you’re dealt a pair of Jacks, Queens or Kings with a maximum bet, you get the chance to play the original hand for a guaranteed win, or trade the hand for three suited cards
towards a Royal Flush.
Chase the RoyalTM is easy to
play, since the game suggests the cards for you to hold in each hand. And the game offers a variety of poker favorites includ- ing Jacks or Better Poker, Bonus Poker, Bonus Poker Deluxe and Double Bonus Poker.
Barona Casino Teams With
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
Barona Casino has teamed with the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club as a major sponsor of the Del Mar racing season beginning this year through 2004. The three-year sponsorship, valued at more than $1.5 million, is the largest in Del Mar Thoroughbred Club history and is also considered one of the largest sponsorships ever of a single racetrack entity in the
United States.
The Del Mar Racing Season begins on July 24th with a $50,000 Opening
Day Barona Bonus, and Opening Day Hat Contest. The racing season ends September 11th. Other sponsored events include Cap Giveaway Day, Club Barona Thursdays, Paci c Classic Golf Tournament, Handicapping Contest, and Barona Trophies—presented to the season’s leading owner, trainer and jockey during the closing-day festivities.
“Barona Casino is proud to be a major sponsor of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club,” said Clifford La Chappa, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. “This partnership involves two of San Diego’s great gaming traditions uniting to help boost the local economy through increased promotion of the region as Southern California’s foremost summer travel and entertainment destination.”
AUGUST 2002
Page 7
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Southern California Gaming News