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Picture a Las Vegas casino equippedwith 3,700 slot machines.The

casino also offers 130 table games, in-cluding blackjack, poker,mini baccaratand craps. In an adjacent resort, visitorscan enjoy relaxing at a spa, attendinga world-class performance at a theateror golfing on an expansive course.Theplace emanates an atmosphere of deca-dence, luxury and free-wheeling fun.

Now picture that casino, not in LasVegas, but in a California valley.

The pleasure palace in question isPechanga Resort & Casino in Temec-ula.The state’s largest casino, Pechanga

is one of many Native American casi-nos that have sprung up across thenation in recent years. Its gamingfloor takes up 188,000 square feet offloor space.The largest casino inLas Vegas, MGM Grand, is 16,500square feet smaller and has 1,000fewer slot machines.These statistics,which place a Native American casinoin California on a par with the largestcasino in the gambling capital of theUnited States, show how far NativeAmerican gaming has come since itshumble beginnings in 1979.

The movement that led to the pro-

liferation of casinos like Pechangabegan in 1979 when the Seminole tribeof Florida opened a high-stakes bingohall.The state tried to shut down theoperation, and a series of court battlesensued.Eventually, the Supreme Courtruled in favor of the Seminole tribe.Eight years later, in the case Californiavs. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians,the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that assovereign nations,Native Americantribes have the right to open gamblingoperations even if gambling is illegalelsewhere in the state. Since that rul-ing, more than 400 Native American

on location: west � jack dwyer

Striking it Richon Tribal LandsNative American casinos bring glitz

and glamor to many parts of the WestThe Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians operates

Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.

gaming operations have sprung upacross the United States. Around 40percent of the 562 federally recognizedtribes engage in gaming.

Tribes that suffer from poverty and unemployment often turn to thegaming industry to stimulate economicgrowth and create jobs. Casino profitsgo directly to the tribal government,which uses the funds for social services,scholarships and community develop-ment. For example, the ConfederatedTribes of the Umatilla Native Ameri-can Reservation (approximately 2,700members) own the Wildhorse Resort& Casino in Pendleton, Ore., whichemploys 505 people. The tribes usesome of the casino’s profits to restorethe salmon population in the Colum-bia River basin—protecting a speciesthat has been central to the tribes’ cul-tural since time immemorial.

Although a typical Native Ameri-can casino resembles any other casinoin most ways, some do offer access toNative American culture. JacksonRancheria Casino in Jackson, Calif.,serves dishes such as Native Americantacos and fry bread. Farther north on

the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington,the Suquamish Clearwater Casinokeeps museum-quality works of Na-tive American art in its gallery. Thosewishing to further explore Indian cul-ture can visit the nearby SuquamishMuseum and Cultural Center.

Many Western casinos have an advantage over those in other parts ofthe country because they are close toreservations that welcome visitors.Guests of Casino del Sol (near Tuc-son) can visit the nearby Pascua Yaquitribe to observe their famous Easterceremonies. Some Pueblo Indians in

the Southwestern United States stilllive in the adobe communities builtby their ancestors.

Native American resorts hostmany of the world-class entertainersthat grace the stages of their counter-parts in Las Vegas. Stars like LizaMinnelli, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby,Ray Romano and Bob Dylan have all traveled to the Temecula Valley to give performances at Pechanga’stheater. The resort regularly puts on productions of Broadway musicals.

Casinos have so far proved very successful for many tribes. Fire RockCasino in Church Rock, N.M., ownedby the Navajo nation, currently has almost a 60 percent EBITA (net profitbefore interest, tax and amortizationexpenses)—and the number seems tobe going up. The Navajo Nation Gam-ing Enterprise is planning three newcasinos in Arizona and New Mexico.   

One of the best things about Na-tive American casinos is that they’realmost everywhere in the West. Sowherever you’re headed, you can dowhat generations before you havedone—trust your luck. LGT

on location: west �

The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute at

Oregon’s Wildhorse Casino.

Red Lion Hotel & Casino

Red Lion Hotel & Casino in Elko, Nev., is the perfect home-

on-the-road for both business and pleasure travelers. From

wireless Internet to in-room safes, I-Pod docks and jack

packs, the Red Lion offers its guests security and state-of-the-

art convenience. An Elko landmark for more than a quarter

century, the hotel has undergone a recent renovation with an

eye toward offering guests a level of comfort that exceeds

their expectations. Rooms feature comfy pillowtop beds, flat-

screen TVs, easy chairs and many other amenities. The Red

Lion boasts 222 guest rooms, two restaurants, 24-hour gam-

ing, a fitness center, gift shop, sports bar and Starbucks. Shut-

tle service is available to the city’s other attractions.

Convenient to Interstate 80, the Elko Red Lion is also the per-

fect location for meetings and social gatherings. With venues

ranging from intimate meeting rooms and a spacious ballroom

to a full casino showroom. Truly a full-service hotel-casino,

the Red Lion can accommodate almost any size group.

(redlionhotelelko.com)

Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino

Located on the western slope of `the Sierra Nevada Moun-

tains, in the California town of Coarsegold, Chukchansi Gold

offers 56,000 square feet of gaming space. Featured are more

than 1,800 slot machines, with 900 penny and nickel machines

in addition to $1, $5, $25 and $100 slots. Among the 46 table

games are 3-Card Poker, Blackjack and Spanish 21. The new

enclosed 3 Peaks Poker Room offers Texas Hold ’Em, 7-Card

Stud and Omah. In addition to the signature Vintage Steak &

Seafood Restaurant, dining choices include the all-you-can-

eat California Market Buffet, classic Italian cuisine at Nativo’s

and Deuces Diner, a ’50s-style spot for hamburgers, fries and

milkshakes. Guest room amenities include safe, mini-refriger-

ator, high-speed Internet and complimentary rubber duckies.

Operated by the Chukchansi Indians, the resort also offers re-

juvenating treatments at Serenity Springs Spa and live music

or karaoke on weekends at Casa de Fuego nightclub. The

group sales department can arrange overnight and day trip

packages. (chukchansigold.com)

C A S I N O S H O W C A S E

62 August 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com

www.redlionhotelelko.com

www.chukchansigold.com

on our radar: west �

CALIFORNIAA little over a year after fire damaged

the world’s largest working movie studiolot, Universal Studios Hollywood has reopened most of its iconic sets for grouptours and unveiled innovative shooting locations designed to meet contemporaryfilm production needs. The new and re-created sets are featured on the “UniversalStudios Hollywood Studio Tour,” recentlyupgraded with Hi-Def digital servers andflat-screen monitors on trams. Productionhas resumed on the world-famous Court-house Square, Brownstone Street and an enhanced New York Street. New loca-tions include a gas station, firehouse, London Street and, most notably, a mod-ern cityscape with glass-and-steel facadestructures. The contemporary cityscape isthe largest urban backlot shooting loca-tion in Los Angeles. Additional sets areunder construction and expected to openin 2010. Also featured on the tour is thenew studio of The Tonight Show withConan O’Brien, which recently movedfrom New York to California. (universalstudioshollywood.com)

HAWAIIThe new Honolulu Surfing Mu-

seum, located next to Jimmy Buffett’sRestaurant and Bar at the OHANAWaikiki Beachcomber, offers an interac-tive immersion into Hawaii’s surfingculture. The museum explores the origins, evolution and current state of surfing, showcasing top surfing legendsfrom past and present. Memorabilia in-cludes vintage surfboards, classic surfingfootage, Hollywood props and a histori-cal collection of musical instrumentsthat are unique to Hawaii. Video moni-tors throughout the exhibit run non-stop loops of surfing highlights filmedby several of the sport’s most respectedcinematographers intertwined with

captioned black-and-white newsreels ofWaikiki surf riding in the days before“talkies” brought sound to the big screen.(honolulusurfmuseum.com)

NEW MEXICOThe newly created New Mexico

History Museum in Santa Fe is a state-of-the-art, immersive exhibition on New Mexico’s colorful past. Its multi-media environment explores the earlyhistory of indigenous people, 400 yearsof Spanish colonization, the Mexican Period, and travel and commerce on the Santa Fe Trail. The exhibition also details the flourishing of New Mexico’sworld-renowned arts communities andthe coming of the Atomic Age. The mu-seum is located directly behind the Palaceof the Governors, the oldest continuouslyoccupied public building in the U.S.,right on the Santa Fe Plaza. (505-476-5200, nmhistorymuseum.org)

WASHINGTONSavor Seattle Food Tours has

launched “Coffee & Chocolate Indul-gence Tour,” a 2¾-hour adventure thatfocuses on Seattle’s rich coffee history. Itgives guests the opportunity to samplemocha-braised short ribs paired withwine and dessert at the top of the SpaceNeedle, cheeses rubbed with espressoand cocoa, espresso-smoked sea saltcaramels, espresso specialty drinks,chocolate and coffee cocktails, Colom-bian hot chocolate, mochachino cheese-cake and a bag of fresh-roasted coffeebeans to take home. Cost is $69. (888-987-2867, savorseattletours.com).

CORRECTION: A photo of VerdeCanyon Railroad on page 74 of the June2009 issue of Leisure Group Travel was incorrectly identified as “New Mexico.”The correct location is Clarkdale, Arizona.

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