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.News Headlines Hard Rock Casino Tejon will break ground by end of 2023 Novem-Ĭonstruction of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon will begin before the end of the year. The right of tribes to determine their own rules is unquestioned. Sycuan Casino Resort, near San Diego, introduced a dining cap of eight people per table and other rules. Cache Creek stopped bar service unless food is purchased. The few that have strengthened restrictions since November’s surge are still far looser than non-tribal businesses. Two exceptions: Pechanga and Pala Casino Spa Resort, near San Diego, say they cap attendance at 50% of normal.

Gaming and dining capacity is more limited but few specify by how much. Buffets and many, but not all, restaurants are closed.

Some confirmed the policies and underscored their commitment to safety others didn’t respond.Īll post significant restrictions, such as temperature checks at the door, required face coverings and more space between slot machines. The Associated Press checked policies on websites of California’s 10 largest tribal casinos and sought comment from each by email or phone. Viejas Casino & Resort, east of San Diego, advertises a $50,000 Bingo “celebration” on New Year’s Eve.īradley 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.” Thunder Valley, near Sacramento, promotes “2021 Celebration Giveaway” drawings Friday and Saturday, with $8,000 grand prizes. Some casinos are sticking to festivities. 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.Ĭlosing 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.Ĭache 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.

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