CONSTRUCTION
Red Hawk Casino recently broke ground on a 150-room hotel , which is slated to open in late 2022 . The expansion project also includes a bowling alley and go-kart track . RENDERING COURTESY OF RED HAWK CASINO
outdoor music stage , before the tribe finally broke ground in March . “ We are on track to finish it by the end of 2023 ,” says Doug Elmets , the tribe ’ s spokesman .
Meanwhile , Wilton Rancheria and its casino operator , Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corporation , paused plans for a second phase that could include a hotel and entertainment venue . The two groups are still hopeful , with Boyd Gaming Senior Vice President of Operations Chris Gibase , who is heading up the Sky River project , saying , “ This is just the beginning of a regional resort .”
Tribal gaming operations closed at a precarious time , with the U . S . Small Business Administration initially opting not to make them eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program . The SBA reversed course within weeks , though tribal gaming operations in California have been slow to take advantage of this option . Few tribal gaming operations in the state have had to do permanent layoffs either .
“ We all struggled when COVID first hit , but I think , if you ’ ve done the studies , every casino seems to have done well during this timeframe ,” says Contreras of Red Hawk Casino . “ People took a lot of their vacation money and spent it locally , and I think that ’ s what the casinos are basically seeing right now . Probably can ’ t last forever , but we ’ ll enjoy it while we can .”
Counting on potential
The first phase of Sky River Casino is still on budget and on schedule , with Wilton Rancheria Tribal Chair Jesus
Tarango eagerly watching the progress on his drives to work . “ I still get excited every day ,” he says .
The casino is being built at the site of Elk Grove ’ s notorious ghost mall , an ambitious project thwarted by the Great Recession that has sat dormant since . “ Seeing this eyesore of a ghost mall that has been in our city for years , it ’ s just great to see something positive that ’ s going to be invested in the City of Elk Grove ,” Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen says .
Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli says he heard figures at Sky River ’ s groundbreaking that it could provide close to 2,000 jobs at full buildout . “ It ’ ll bring jobs , no doubt about that ,” Nottoli says . The tribe also has made $ 180 million in commitments to the City of Elk Grove and Sacramento County to
50 comstocksmag . com | November 2021