Barona Casino

Barona Casino

Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino is a San Diego area casino, hotel, and golf course owned by the Barona Band of Mission Indians, and known for sponsoring and housing the Blackjack Hall of Fame. It is one of the three largest casinos in the area, located in the foothills of Lakeside, California, at an elevation near 1,300 feet. The casino started as a 1990s bingo hall that grew into a Native american casino in 1999 after the passing of California's Proposition 1-A, which the Barona tribe had actively promoted. The casino is "dry" in that it does not serve alcohol, but alcohol is available in other locations of the ranch.

History

The Barona Band of Mission Indians, part of the Kumeyaay Nation, had been forcibly evicted from the area now containing El Capitan Reservoir. In 1932, they used their share of the proceeds to purchase the Barona Ranch. In the early 1990s, they opened a bingo hall at the location. The tribe became active in court cases that eventually legalized Native American bingo halls in California, and were a proponent for the passage of balloted measures such as Proposition 5 and later Proposition 1-A. After 1-A passed, the tribe's bingo hall grew into a full casino, known as "The Big Top", which opened in 1999, after which the tribe has played a more passive role in the politics involving Indian gaming.

The tribe selected Kenny Rogers as the casino's spokesperson, and he appears in their advertising. In 2001, the casino was expanded to be the "Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino", a $250 million complex incorporating a 1930s style California ranch theme. As of 2007, it houses 2000 slot machines, up to 70 table games, four restaurants and a food court, an off-track betting facility, and a poker room. The hotel has 395 rooms, including suites. The golf course has a pro shop, cafe, and a food delivery service accessible via GPS.

Barona Valley Ranch is one of the three largest casinos in San Diego, alongside Sycuan and Viejas. Pechanga, Pala Casino Spa Resort, and Harrah's Rincon are the nearest casinos with a full service hotel. Barona depicts itself as an upscale destination for serious gamers; declaring in print advertisements that "if you bet big, you're our kind of player." Barona Valley Ranch does not serve alcohol in the casino; however it is available in the hotel, on the golf course, and in the Barona Oaks Steakhouse. Barona, like other California casinos, has restrictions on the roulette or craps offerings, but offers variants involving the use of cards instead of dice, which falls within the legal guidelines.

Unlike Pechanga, Pala or Harrah's, guests 18 years old and over can gamble at Barona, along with Morongo and Casino Pauma.

Blackjack Hall of Fame

In 2002, Barona sponsored the creation of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, which after a debate by notable blackjack players, inducted seven prominent players and authors. As of 2007, there are 11 members. The Barona Casino has a small physical Hall of Fame on one wall, with a plaque for each player along with their photo and a few words about their contributions and accomplishments. There is also a museum with cheating devices on display, such as the cigarette pack-sized computer invented by Keith Taft, and other computers that were hidden in shoes.

Barona has given each of the inductees a lifetime full comp, meaning free hotel, food and beverage, under the promise that they never actually play blackjack in the Barona's casino. [ [http://www.blackjackhero.com/blackjack/hall-fame/ Blackjack Hall of Fame] ]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.barona.com/index.cfm Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Blackjack Hall of Fame — The Blackjack Hall of Fame honors the greatest blackjack experts, authors, and professional players in history. It was launched in 2002, and its physical premises are in San Diego, California. HistoryIn the winter of 2002, a diverse selection of… …   Wikipedia

  • Blackjack — This article is about the gambling game. For other uses, see Black Jack (disambiguation). A game of blackjack with a blackjack hand of 21. Blackjack, also known as Twenty one or Vingt et un (French: twenty one ), is the most widely played casino… …   Wikipedia

  • Lakeside, California — For the place formerly with this name near Lake Tahoe, see Stateline, California. Lakeside   census designated place   …   Wikipedia

  • Max Rubin — is a gambling expert and author best known for his book Comp City: A Guide to Free Gambling Vacations. The book teaches players how to maximize casino perks with little actual wagering. Rubin is also a gambling analyst for television. He served… …   Wikipedia

  • Magic Man — Single by Heart from the album Dreamboat Annie B side …   Wikipedia

  • List of casinos — A list of casinos.Antigua and Barbuda*St. James s Club Antigua in Mamora Bay *Casino Riviera in Runaway Bay *Grand Princess Casino in St. John s *King s Casino in St. John sAustraliaNew South Wales*Star City Casino (Sydney)Victoria*Crown Casino… …   Wikipedia

  • Kumeyaay people — Kumeyaay Anthony Pico, chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay, photo by Dale Frost Total population 3000 …   Wikipedia

  • October 2007 California wildfires — Fall 2007 California Wildfires NASA satellite photo (provided by NSPO, Taiwan National Space Organization) from October 23, 2007, showing the active fire zones and smoke plumes. Location Souther …   Wikipedia

  • El Cajon Transit Center (estación del tranvía de San Diego) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El Cajon Transit Center …   Wikipedia Español

  • Coronado, California — City of Coronado   City   Coronado with Hotel del Coronado in foreground Nickname(s): The Crown Ci …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”