Page 15 - November 2008 • Southern California Gaming Guide

It’s hard to believe 25 years have gone by. It all started on November 23rd, 1983, with Sycuan’s Bingo Palace. It was a 20,000 square-foot facility lled with dreams and aspirations for a better tomorrow. Back then, no one could fathom what lay ahead in terms of success and prosperity. As it turned out, the
Bingo Palace would lead to the evolution of Indian gaming in California. “It was a tin building, more like a warehouse,” said Ricci LaBrake, who is now Sycuan’s Vice Chairman.
A quarter century ago, when the Bingo Palace rst opened, a 19-year-old LaBrake worked as a security o cer, directing tra c on a dirt lot. “We had all these cars come out of nowhere on our dirt road; we were out there with ashlights and cones helping people park their cars.” And people came from all
over, especially on weekends when you couldn’t nd a place to sit in the 1400-seat hall.
“We tried not to turn people away. We came up with a reservation system and used a small lounge to handle the over ow crowd. Sometimes, we would have 1,700 people playing bingo; it was chaos, but a lot of fun.”
e facility became known for its high stakes and its great atmosphere. “People would not leave, they wanted to play day and night,” said LaBrake. “We brought in entertainment, music, and people would be dancing and singing on an aisle that cut down the middle of the hall, people just loved being there. ey became like family, it was almost like attending a family reunion.”
LaBrake and his responsibilities grew along with the Bingo Palace’s popularity. By 1989, a wall was knocked down to make room for a 40-table poker room. ree years later, another expansion took place, pull tab gaming machines were o ered, the casino was taking shape.
Sycuan’s nancial independence was secured in November of 1998 when California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 5. It gave tribes like
Sycuan, the opportunity to continue gaming operations. But it wasn’t until the passage of Proposition 1A, in March of 2000 that Sycuan cemented its future. e state of California had adopted an amendment legalizing tribal gaming. By now, LaBrake had become general manager and Sycuan Casino was a success many times over.
“We based our business
on customer service, just
focused on that. In the
beginning, we didn’t have
all the amenities, but we
had the best customer
service, and that’s why
people kept coming back,”
said LaBrake. “Even when
people didn’t win, they went
home happy, that’s a tribute
to our employees. To this
day, everyone works hard at o ering the best customer service anywhere.”
our elders, people who ran the Tribal Council when we rst started. ey went through a lot of hard times and fought hard to get what we have now,” said LaBrake.
Sycuan’s commitment to customer service continues. It has dedicated itself to providing the best in entertainment and hospitality to the people of San Diego.
Sycuan Casino has more than 2,000 slot machines,
58 gaming tables, a Poker Room for 220 players, and a modern Bingo Palace that can accommodate 1,254 people with payouts as high as $100,000. Even more excitement is on the way. ere are plans to add a hotel, restaurants, shops, events center and even more excitement to the casino
property.“We’re going to get even better over the next 25 years,” says LaBrake.
Silver Anniversary Extravaganza
Exciting year-long promotions are culminating with an eyebrow-raising $25,000 Per Day Giveaway for 25 days. at’s $625,000 in cash leading up to the Silver 25th Anniversary Extravaganza on Saturday, November 22nd.
On that special day, Sycuan has planned an amazing anniversary bonanza.
Sycuan Casino is going back to its bingo roots in a big way. e Bingo Palace will be buzzing with excitement as it gives away more than $250,000 in payouts, along with a brand new 2009 BMW. It will be Sycuan’s biggest bingo bash ever. $20,000 will be given away along with a silver ex-fuel Cadillac Escalade, anniversary mugs, cupcakes, and silver hats and beads (while supplies last). roughout the day $25 gas cards will be given away to table games players and a $10,000 added Texas Hold’em
Sycuan’s state-of-the-art Bingo Palace accommodates up to 1,254 people and features payouts as high as $100,000.
Along the way, Sycuan Casino became the model, an example of what was possible. LaBrake and other Sycuan Tribal members are considered pioneers and trail blazers in the industry. ey held seminars, workshops and meetings for tribes who craved the same nancial rewards and good standing in their communities. Sycuan has taught other sovereign nations how to start their own casinos, so they too could embark on a path to independence.
“We are proud to see how far we’ve come, and where we’ve come from. Without the casino, we wouldn’t have
what we have today. It’s a tribute to
November 2008 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Page 15