San Manuel Casino near Highland will complete its multimillion dollar expansion in 2021 but some elements have been pushed back because of the pandemic. Originally scheduled to open April 2, the new hotel and casino was delayed until May 27. The Cahuilla Band of Indians didn’t have to slow down construction on their new hotel and casino facility, but they did have to push back its planned opening.

The coronavirus impacted timelines for some casinos construction projects, but not for others. Massive expansion projects have been typical at the casinos in recent years, with tribes going all-in on bigger gaming floors, hotel towers and entertainment venues at their properties.

At San Manuel Casino near Highland, there are multiple temperature checks before people can make it to the gaming floor.Īugustine Casino in Coachella went another route, eliminating table games from the floor entirely. Non-invasive temperature checks have been implemented across the casinos as well. They’ve all instituted mask requirements (at many that now means a full-on face mask without vents or valves, and not a gaiter or bandana). Masks, temperature checks and social distancingĪll of the casinos took steps to to try to minimize coronavirus risk before people even got to the gaming floor. Here’s a look at how the pandemic has impacted them. While other businesses have shuttered again, including non-tribal cardrooms, Southern California’s tribal casinos remain open because they are sovereign. And when they reopened, things were a lot different.

Tribal-owned casinos across the region made the decision to stay closed for two to three months to help curb the spread. In a normal year, Southern California’s casinos are always full of activity from bustling slots and table games to packed entertainment venues hosting big stars.Īll that activity came to a screeching halt in March when the novel coronavirus took hold stateside.

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