in the Tribal Resort
As gaming tribes gain in influence and financial might , they ’ re moving beyond gaming to attract new customers — sometimes beating Vegas at its own game
By Marjorie Preston
The High Flyer zip line at Foxwoods
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If you were to look at the tribe ’ s history as a time-lapse video , it would be mind-boggling , the changes that have happened in a relatively short time ,” says Kari Smith , COO and general manager of Cache Creek Casino Resort , owned by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation of California . During the Gold Rush of the mid-1880s , the Yocha Dehe Wintun were forced off verdant ancestral lands onto a barren rancheria , where they struggled to survive . In the 1940s , they regained part of their land in the Capay Valley . In the 1980s , they opened a modest bingo hall .
Today , the tribe of fewer than 80 people operates a multimillion-dollar casino resort , a winery and a farm . It ’ s the biggest employer in Yolo County , providing livelihood to some 2,500 people , tribal and otherwise .
Far from the bingo hall of old , Cache Creek — located about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento — has a 75,000- square-foot gaming floor , a four-diamond hotel tower with a second in the works , a spa , two pools , 10 restaurants , a 700-seat event center and an 18-hole championship golf course .
WinStar World Casino and Resort , the largest casino in the world
Today , Cache Creek is “ shifting from being casino-centric to a more resort-amenities property ,” says Smith , “ focused on making sure we continue to have not only the best casino product , but can attract all kinds of travelers .” The addition of 31,000 feet of “ functional , flexible ” meeting space will fill a regional need for smaller-group convention space , and allow the resort ’ s marketing team to book groups from well beyond the Sacramento Valley .
It seems that what happens in Vegas — the growth of amenities , far beyond gaming — happens at tribal resorts , too . But which attractions make the most sense , and offer the greatest return on investment ?
“ Gaming and non-gaming support each other in meeting today ’ s patrons ’ expectations .”
— Jack Parkinson , General Manager , WinStar World Casino and Resort , Oklahoma
38 TRIBAL GOVERNMENT GAMING 2020