Page 5 - July 2003 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Valley View Casino Opens Smoke-Free Pavilion
“To non-smokers, it’s a breath of fresh air,” said one frequent casino player. She’s referring to Valley View Casino’s new “smoke-free” pavilion that opened June 20th. The new 7,200-sq.-ft. addition houses 300 plus slot machines and
is the beginning of an expansion at Valley View Casino, located in Valley Center.
The decision to make the new addition smoke-free was made after a six-month survey performed by the American Indian Tobacco Education Network (aiten), in conjunction with Indian Health Council, Inc.’s t.r.i.b.e. program (which stands for Tobacco Reduction Intervention Behaviors through Education). “We know that 80 percent of Californians are non-smokers,” says Raul Salazar, aiten Health Specialist. “Yet there is always the concern of making changes that might offend regular customers.”
The results of the survey showed overwhelming support for providing a separate, non- smoking facility that offers the same, state-of-the-art slots found in the original casino building. “Providing a separate structure for non-smokers gives our customers the best of both worlds,”
says Allen Lawson, chairman of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians. Barona’s Off to the Races Getaway
Unbridled Luxury & Excitement Await Racing Enthusiasts at Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino!
Regarded as one of the leading thoroughbred racetracks in the United States, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club welcomes thousands of guests from all over the country every summer. This year Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino, a proud sponsor
of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, is raising the stakes with a vacation package offering a combination of luxury and excitement especially for horse racing fans.
The Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino Off to the Races getaway includes:
• Deluxe accommodations in an elegantly appointed guest room
• Scrumptious breakfast for two at the resort’s Branding Iron Café
• Stretch run admission and seats for two at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; and
Morongo Tribe Breaks Ground on ONew Casino Resort Hotel
n May 28th the Morongo Band of Mission Indians held a ground- breaking ceremony for a new $250 million, world-class casino resort hotel on the Morongo Indian Reservation. When complete, it will be one of
the largest recreational gaming destinations on the West Coast, and according to a local economist, will generate more than $2.8 billion in new jobs and economic bene ts to the Inland Empire economy. The 44-acre project site is in a valley pass between the scenic San Gorgonio and San Jacinto mountain ranges.
The resort will feature multiple restaurants, a nightclub, ballrooms, convention facilities and retail space. Additional amenities will include a swimming pool with sandy beaches and water slides, lush gardens, extensive landscaping, a children’s arcade center and approximately 3,500 parking spaces. The hotel will have 272 standard rooms, 32 double bay suites and six luxury casitas built around an upper level private pool that overlooks an oasis. Infrastructure associated with the hotel/casino project will be funded by the tribe and will include new roads, an extension of the tribe’s own water system, natural gas and electricity connections, and connection to a wastewater facility located elsewhere on the Morongo Indian Reservation.
A pioneer in Indian gaming, the Morongo tribe began using gaming as a means of economic development in 1983. A 1987 Supreme Court case, led by the Cabazon and Morongo Tribes, con rmed the right of American Indian tribes to offer gaming on Indian reservations.
B
etween May 20th and June 20th, the Wheel of Fortune® Slots and Video Slots have hit the jackpot six times in Southern
• An of cial daily racing program.
The Off to the Races getaway is priced from $95 midweek and $125 Friday and Saturday. The package is valid July 24 through September 10 and is subject to availability. The package is not available for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s Opening Day on July 23 or the Paci c Classic on August 24. For Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino reservations
and information, visit www.barona.com or call toll free 1-888-7-barona.
Six Southern California Wheel of Fortune® MegaJackpotsTM
California Casinos, paying out a total of $2,693,446 to the lucky winners!
The biggest winner was at Soboba Casino, when Yong Ahn won $984,851, the 10th largest progressive jackpot on the 5¢ Wheel of Fortune Video Slot, and the second largest jackpot awarded at Soboba Casino. The largest (and also the largest 25¢ Wheel of Fortune Jackpot to date) was awarded to Southern California Gaming Guide reader Randy Burklund, who won $1,614,695!
The other ve Wheel of Fortune jackpots were on the 25¢ reel-spinning machines at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino ($656,072, pictured on the June Winners page), Sycuan Casino & Resort ($298,064 and $253,947), Fantasy Springs Casino ($250,475), and Spa Resort & Casino ($250,037). See the lucky winners (with their enormous checks!) on page 22!
More Gaming News on Page 15!
July 2003 Page 5
Southern California Gaming News