Wilton Rancheria Casino Opening Date

Wilton Rancheria Elk Grove Resort and Casino Project. By Lance Armstrong Citizen Staff Writer Wilton Rancheria Chairman Raymond “Chuckie” Hitchcock this week told the Citizen that the projected opening of the tribe’s proposed, $500 million casino-resort in Elk Grove has been delayed until late 2021.

Wilton Rancheria’s plan to open the first tribal gaming property in Sacramento County, Calif. will have to a wait awhile longer than previously hoped because of plans to redesign some parts of the venue.

Of interest, the filing also provides a history of the Wilton Rancheria noting that as part of the California Rancheria Act of 1958, California Rancheria would be disbanded by a popular vote of members. In return, members were given proportional shares of land and certain improvements. As Elk Grove-Wilton Rancheria casino litigation plods along, planned 2020 opening date evaporating. One of the numerous artistic renderings of Wilton Rancheria's proposed $500 million resort casino in Elk Grove. Early this yea. 7/03/2019 08:30:00 AM. Photo courtesy of Wilton Rancheria. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the beginning of construction. That will come later this year. This week the Wilton Rancheria began drill testing on the site of the long awaited Wilton Rancheria Casino in Elk Grove. Heavy equipment was brought into the casino site this week.

Wilton Rancheria Chairman Raymond Hitchcock highlights plans for a casino that will open in 2021, not this year, as expected. (Image: Elk Grove Citizen)

Last year, the tribe said it was targeting a late 2020 opening for the gaming property. But that date is being pushed back to late next year. Wilton Rancheria Chairman Raymond Hitchcock said “a few areas” called for redesign, and that caused delays. But he noted the effort is now “back on track.” Hitchcock didn’t identify what parts of the project required alteration.

As far as an update on timing, we’re most likely waiting for the spring to hit, so we’re not in the wet season, because we have in-ground infrastructure,” he said in an interview with The Elk Grove Citizen. “And it’s an 18-month (construction process). So, if you do the math, that’s late 2021 for opening for the project.”

Wilton Rancheria is building the gaming property on a 35.9-acre patch of land along Highway 99 in Elk Grove, Calif. The tribe is working with Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming on the project and it’s expected to create 1,600 construction jobs and 1,750 permanent roles once the venue opens.

Wilton Rancheria Casino Opening Dates

Lingering Opposition

As Casino.org reported last October, Wilton Rancheria scored a legal win to move forward with the project after US District Court Trevor McFadden dismissed a motion seeking to block the gaming property brought by Stand Up for California!

Stand Up for California! is an activist group with a history of opposing tribal gaming expansion in the Golden State.

“At the federal level, we are seeking amendments to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and changes in policy and administration rules that enhance regulatory oversight and give voice to affected parties in the location, size and scope of tribal gaming developments,” according to the organization.

Regarding the Wilton Rancheria plan, Stand Up for California! believes the case isn’t closed and is appealing McFadden’s ruling.

Hitchcock said the tribe will move forward with building the gaming property, dismissing Stand Up’s legal maneuvering as “white noise.”

Costs And Plans

The land on which the Elk Grove casino will be situated was acquired by the tribe and Boyd Gaming in 2017 for $36 million, or about $1 million per acre. Wilton Rancheria forecast total construction cost at $500 million.

When finished, 97.3 percent of the square footage will be allocated to non-gaming amenities, such as hotel rooms, meeting space, restaurants, and shops. The remaining space will be allocated to the casino floor, but the tribe hasn’t yet released a breakdown of slots and table games.

Wilton Rancheria Casino Opening Date

The largest tribal gaming property in Northern California is Thunder Valley Casino-Resort in Lincoln. That venue has 144,500 square feet of gaming space, with 2,700 slot machines and 103 table games, a poker room and a bingo area.

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When many of us think of casinos, our minds immediately turn to Tribal gaming operations. Indian gaming has been integral in the funding of many important public services on tribal lands, and the vast majority of gaming revues go to fund local government and community development. However, Tribal gaming is highly regulated and opening a casino on Indian land can require years of cutting through regulatory red tape.

Elk Grove Casino Underway in Sacramento

The National Indian Gaming Commission approved a contract between the Wilton Rancheria Tribe of Miwok people of Elk Grove, which is just outside of Sacramento, and a private casino developer for the construction of a $500 million casino resort. The project, which is proposed to be located at an unfinished portion of the Elk Grove mall site, has been inching towards completion despite the rigorous regulatory requirements.

The major construction project is performing necessary ground tests and safety inspections, and construction is expected to commence this year. And while projects of this scale and scope always take time, the Wilton Rancheria’s tribal gaming development has been moving forward at a respectable pace.

Wilton Rancheria Demonstrates Commitment to Tribal Gaming

The fact that the Wilton Rancheria tribe has gotten so far in the construction of its proposed casino is a notable accomplishment. The tribe was able to meet California’s conditions for conducing gaming in addition to having access to eligible lands as determined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Once this has been secured, the tribe must secure approval from the National Indian Gaming Commission and the U.S. Department of the Interior. This entire process can take years and cost millions of dollars, and it’s proven insurmountable to innumerable proposed Indian gaming projects.

In January, the Department of the Interior approved the Wilton Rancheria’s tribal gaming compact with California’s state government, which gives the tribe the legal authority to operate a casino-resort on its Elk Grove lands. The project defeated legal challenges brought by anti-gambling advocates in 2017, and despite the bureaucratic red tape and disruptive litigation, it appears to be moving forward quite smoothly.

With the construction of the casino, the Wilton Rancheria will join the 240 federally-recognized tribes that offer regulated gaming in 460 casinos across the country. However, Indian gaming is not a cut-and-dried issue – far from it. Less than half of all federally recognized tribes have sought to establish gaming establishments on their lands, and there are sincere ideological concerns about bringing casinos to Native American communities. In Elk Grove, citizens were able to voice these concerns through litigation and public participation processes included in licensing procedures, and by no means did they fall on deaf ears. Regardless, however, the Wilton Rancheria leadership appears committed to moving forward with the casino as a way to improve government services and quality of life for its people.