Page 3 - Southern California Gaming Guide • April 2020

Features 10 It’s in the Cards: Gambling Idioms in Every Day Speech Maya Winkler put her cards on the table and hedged her bets that you didn’t know that most of the popular gambling idioms have their roots in one of the world’s favorite card games: Poker. 12 Big Wins! Slot Jackpots, Titanic Table Game and Luxury Car Wins Every month, readers e-mail, call and write, (yes, letters) telling us they want to see all kinds of big winners - slot jackpots, huge Table Game payouts and winners of luxury car casino promotions. Take a look at the lucky winners from the past few months to see what they won. 16 Slot Tournament Basics: Fun, Competitive Play If you have never played in a slot tournament, you’re missing out on lots of thrills and a chance to win big. 22 Blackjack Bonanza! Everything you ever wanted to know about blackjack — including a strategy table to maximize your chance of winning at this popular casino table game. 25 How Slots Work Understanding your favorite casino game may change the way you play. Casino News 3 Gaming News 9 From the Publisher 14 Featured Casinos Directory 18 Tribes in the News 20 SoCal Casino Directory At the Casinos 18 Featured Casino Driving Directions 26 Big Winners! ASoCal Casinos Close Temporarily to Protect Players & Employees s of March 20th, all Southern California Indian Nations voluntarily closed of COVID-19 with the closure of our casinos their casinos in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s State Executive Order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 30 , many casinos had reviewed and changed their prospective opening dates. and community continues to be one of our top priorities.” “While we are eager to reopen, we have decided to extend our closure through April 12th. We thank our team members, guests, and the greater Coachella Valley for their patience during this time. Starting on April 1st, our team members will be paid by using their earned vacation hours. This will allow our casino employees to remain active team members and continue to receive health benefits through April 30th. During the regularly scheduled Tribal Council Meeting of Tuesday March 17th, and pursuant to Tribal law, Agua Caliente Tribal leaders declared a Reservation-wide State of Emergency consistent with similar declarations by the state of California and the federal government.” “Stay healthy and safe during this challenging time,” Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe said. “We remain hopeful and are eager for the day we can reopen. Since time immemorial, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has been resilient in overcoming major challenges ...continued on page 4 The following excerpts from featured casinos’ press releases announce current (as of March 30th) reopening plans. To keep current on any further changes in April, visit featured casinos’ websites indicated below. “In response to the ongoing concerns about COVID-19, the Barona Band of Mission Indians is extending the closure of the Barona Resort & Casino through Sunday, April 19th. All Barona staff members will continue to receive pay and benefits during this time. Barona’s Tribal leaders will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation on a daily basis as the health and safety of our staff, players and community is our top priority. We anxiously await the day we can welcome our staff and players back home to Barona. For now, we hope to be able to re-open on Monday, April 20th. We will continue to closely monitor updates from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) as well as state and local authorities. We thank the entire Barona family, including our 3,100 Barona staff members and all of our players for their support and patience during this difficult time. We will provide updates of any future developments via our social media channels and on our website.” Check for updates at Barona.com. “As one of the largest employers in Coachella Valley, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians are doing our part to slow the spread in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. The th health and safety of our team members, guests, APRIL 2020 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE PAGE 3 April 2020 Contents April 2020 Gaming News