Casino Morongo Closure

Posted on 04-02-2021 by admin

Morongo Casino Resort & Spa declares, 'Good Times are back!' Barona Resort Casino says, 'We're open 24/7.' Close gyms and cardrooms, restrict hotel reservations and limit capacity to 20% at. A spokesperson for Casino Morongo wrote in a statement to News Channel 3: 'The safety and well-being of our guests and team members are always our top priorities, and more than two dozen new.

SAN DIEGO — “We’re open!” says Thunder Valley Resort Casino. Morongo Casino Resort & Spa declares, “Good Times are back!” Barona Resort Casino says, “We’re open 24/7.”

Splashy messages on websites and freeway signs for California’s tribal casinos are a jarring contrast with the sober restraint that Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered amid a crushing surge in coronavirus cases that has overwhelmed hospitals statewide.

California’s self-governed tribal casinos have largely left safety rules unchanged since reopening in the spring as the government has stiffened restrictions on other businesses in most of the state. Stay-at-home orders that began in early December prohibit indoor religious services and on-site dining, close gyms and cardrooms, restrict hotel reservations and limit capacity to 20% at retail stores.

Morongo reopened May 22 to much fanfare after being closed for weeks due to public health orders with some major changes in an effort to keep staff and guests healthy. Morongo Casino Resort and Spa and Casino Morongo closed today, Tuesday March 17, and will remain closed through the end of March. The casino closed at noon. A press release was issued regarding the casino closure due to the coronavirus outbreak. Mar 17, 2020 Tribal Gaming & Hospitality Tribal News & Stories Due to the rapidly evolving developments involving the international Novel Coronavirus (COVOID-19) outbreak, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians has made the necessary decision to temporarily close the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa and the Casino Morongo.

Tribal casinos operate under federal law on federally protected land, known as rancherias in California, so they’re not required to fall in line with Newsom’s orders. The country’s 574 federally recognized tribes also are sovereign entities and can decide on how to operate their businesses without approval from states.

................................................................

Tribes outside California have reopened casinos with limited capacity and other safety precautions. Casinos on the country’s largest Native American reservation, the Navajo Nation in the Southwest, have been closed since March.

Casino revenue is also a major source of income for tribes, which don’t have a tax base like state and local governments.

With few other places open New Year’s Eve, casinos have come under scrutiny for ringing in 2021 with a bang. Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, north of San Francisco, faced a backlash after announcing last week that it would close for a private party with up to 4,000 people. It abruptly canceled the event and “apologized for any inconvenience” in a statement online.

The San Manuel Casino in Highland, east of Los Angeles, said Tuesday that its New Year’s Eve events were also off. It will remain open for “current limited capacity” but there will be no midnight countdown, booze at the bar or tableside dining.

Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California’s largest tribal casino, said Monday that it was closing to the “general public” on New Year’s Eve after previously canceling special celebrations and postponing concerts through March.

Closing to the public on New Year’s Eve was done to “further discourage attendance,” Jared Munoa, board president of the Pechanga Development Corp., said this week.

Cache Creek Casino Resort, northwest of Sacramento, said it canceled plans for a public New Year’s Eve party in early December but will open for “a small number of special guests,” estimated at less than 1% of normal crowds.

Some casinos are sticking to festivities. Thunder Valley, near Sacramento, promotes “2021 Celebration Giveaway” drawings Friday and Saturday, with $8,000 grand prizes. Viejas Casino & Resort, east of San Diego, advertises a $50,000 Bingo “celebration” on New Year’s Eve.

Bradley Pollock, a public health professor at UC Davis Health, acknowledged tribal rights and the economic benefits that casinos deliver but said “anything that encourages people to come together physically is not good.” He said New Year’s Eve celebrations are “even more egregious.”

The Associated Press checked policies on websites of California’s 10 largest tribal casinos and sought comment from each by email or phone. Some confirmed the policies and underscored their commitment to safety; others didn’t respond.

All post significant restrictions, such as temperature checks at the door, required face coverings and more space between slot machines. Buffets and many, but not all, restaurants are closed.

Gaming and dining capacity is more limited but few specify by how much. Two exceptions: Pechanga and Pala Casino Spa Resort, near San Diego, say they cap attendance at 50% of normal.

The few that have strengthened restrictions since November’s surge are still far looser than non-tribal businesses. Cache Creek stopped bar service unless food is purchased. Sycuan Casino Resort, near San Diego, introduced a dining cap of eight people per table and other rules.

The right of tribes to determine their own rules is unquestioned. San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who has denounced restaurants and churches that defy health orders, said when casinos prepared to reopen in May that he was in no position to criticize.

“This is a decision that is for them to make, and there is a very long and very dark history of the country, of white people in particular, telling our Native Americans what they should and shouldn’t do,” he said. “I’m not going to be a part of continuing that into the future. I respect their sovereignty.”

Information on how COVID-19 has spread from casinos is limited. KPBS obtained San Diego County records and reported that outbreaks at seven casinos were linked to at least 638 COVID-19 cases from late June to mid-December. It said at least 208 outbreaks occurred in restaurants and at least 125 at large retailers and grocery stores.

Pollock, of UC Davis Health, said hotels present limited risk of spread but dining and gaming are more troublesome.

“How do you have a poker game with one dealer and one player per table?” he said. “I don’t know how you would (safely) do it otherwise.”

___

Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report.

Morongo Casino Resort and Spa
Address	49500 Seminole Drive Cabazon, California 92230-2200
Opening date	December 10, 2004^[1]
Theme	1960s
No. of rooms	310
Total gaming space	150,000 sq ft (14,000 m²)
Signature attractions	Canyon Lanes Bowling Vibe Nightclub Mystique Entertainment
Notable restaurants	Potrero Canyon Buffet Cielo Serrano Sunset Bar & Grill Food Court Mystique Pit Bar Tacos & Tequila Natural 9 Noodle Company
Casino type	Land
Owner	Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians
Website	www.morongocasinoresort.com

Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa is an Indian gaming casino, of the Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians, located in Cabazon, California, United States, near San Gorgonio Pass. The casino has 310 rooms and suites. A 44-acre (180,000 m²), 27-story resort, Morongo is one of the largest casinos in California. At 330 feet (101 m) high, the casino tower is the tallest building in both Riverside County and the larger Inland Empire region.^[2]

History[edit]

Morongo Casino Closure

On February 25, 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that neither the state of California nor Riverside County could regulate the bingo and card game operations of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians set in motion a series of federal and state actions-including two ballot propositions-that dramatically expanded tribal casino operations in California and other states.^[3] In 1995, a new building was constructed for the bingo and card games, and slot machines were introduced. The new casino was called Casino Morongo and included a dance hall, bowling alley, and diner.^[4]

California Proposition 1A, also known as the Gambling on Tribal Lands Amendment, was on the March 7, 2000, ballot in California, where it was approved with a 64% win. It authorized the governor to negotiate compacts with federally recognized Indian tribes on Indian lands in California to operate slot machines, lotteries and banking and percentage card games, subject to legislative ratification.^[5]

The Jerde Partnership announced the official groundbreaking for the Morongo Hotel on May 28, 2003. Perini Building Company topped-out the resort on March 31, 2004. The $250-million Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa, which opened on December 10, 2004, is one of the largest tribal gaming facilities in the nation.^[6] Casino Morongo closed for gaming in 2004, and reopened in 2018 as a separate casino due to an expansion project at the larger casino, displacing 300 slot machines.^[7]

Facilities[edit]

Morongo is one of only six AAA four-diamond casino resorts in California, with Barona Casino, Viejas Casino, Pechanga Resort and Casino, Thunder Valley Casino Resort and the Chumash Casino Resort being the others. Morongo's main casino floor is 148,000 square feet (14,000 m²) with over 2,000 slots and table games.

Upon entering the casino, guests see a contemporary, retro-1960s interior. Light coves between overhead vaults, back-lit fabric draped between frames, and conically shaped light fixtures create a complex, ornate ceiling above the casino floor.

The casino offers more than a hundred table games, including four-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'Em, Mystery Card Roulette, blackjack, pai gow poker, mini-baccarat, and three card poker, as well as a 22-table poker room. High rollers can use a high-limit slot area with four table games and seven slots. The high-limit room also has a lounge with plasma TVs and complimentary food.

Morongo's hotel accommodates guests in 272 standard rooms, 32 double-bay suites, and six casitas, the latter of which are located on an upper level surrounding the pool.

Morongo's restaurants include the penthouse restaurant Cielo, Serrano (24-Hour Cafe), Tacos & Tequila, Sunset Bar & Grill, Natural 9 Noodle Company, and the Potrero Canyon Buffet, as well as a food court.

Guests must be 18 or older to gamble on the property.^[8]

Morongo Casino Promotions

Sports[edit]