would come down and want a hotel room, and we’d have to say ‘we have 517 other VIPs, so we can’t put you in our hotel,’” he said. When higher-level players wanted to visit, that was a problem. Non-Indian competition comes from card rooms, which offer poker and player-banked versions of such games at blackjack, pai gow poker, and baccarat. “When we looked at the opportunity of what we could do next to solidify our position, it was not what to do just in this market but in the industry as a whole.”įor those who don’t follow California numbers: Indian casinos in the state took in about $8 billion last year and are the only places in the state with both table games and slots. The improvements took more than two years to complete.

Pechanga’s new features include a 13-story, 568-room hotel, which opened December 22 and brought the property’s total rooms to about 1,100 more convention space an enhanced spa and a 4.5-acre pool complex. Also, the words “parking fees” and “resort fees” are nowhere to be found at Pechanga. The casino is certainly an option for anyone who gambles, and especially so for those who live an hour to the northwest in Los Angeles, who might be considering something less extensive than a 230-mile road trip to Las Vegas.

A recent $285 million expansion gives Torres a good argument for at least being the best property in California.

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