The maturation of tribal gaming means constant change. Sometimes it’s a move of location, other times it’s enhancing what you already have. The tribal casinos that qualified this year are indicative of the changes in gaming overall. The legalization of sports betting and its introduction to existing tribal casinos have meant some creative use of existing spaces. The addition of amenities like hotel rooms and suites, high-class restaurants, spas and pools and more have given tribal casinos more of a resort feel, allowing them to compete for new customers whose entertainment wallets are ever-evolving. Congratulations to all the designers, thought leaders and tribal gaming operators who envisioned these amazing changes.
Right Place, Right Time
Eagle Mountain Casino, Porterville, California
Location, location, location,” says Joe Baruffaldi, AIA, principal/project manager at HBG Design, and leader of HBG Design’s San Diego Office.
“HBG Design’s client, the Tule River Tribe in California, is relying on their relocation to a high-visibility property in order to up their game and cement their reputation as a significant competitor in their regional gaming market just southeast of Fresno.”
The relocation of the casino from the reservation to a higher-traffic, higher-visibility area in Porterville, California creates a more conveniently accessible entertainment experience for their local customers, he says. It also opens new opportunities to capture destination traffic and overnight guests traveling between Fresno and Bakersfield.
Center Bar, Eagle Mountain Casino, Porterville, California
The new 105,000-square-foot casino property will offer 1,750 slots, 20 table games and a choice of four dining options, including a steakhouse, diner, café and sports bar and grill. A 2,000-seat event center and a 125-room hotel also will be added.
According to Baruffaldi, designers merged storytelling concepts based on significant Tule River tribal cultural elements with amenities and distinctive venues designed specifically for the Porterville gaming customer.
Key design concepts are rooted in the land and agrarian context of Tulare County and central California. The design is heavily influenced by a lodge aesthetic with wood and stone structural expressions. Inside, guests will experience an abstract depiction of the Tule River Tribe’s native traditions through art, patterns and imagery.
Soaring vertical features will recall the majesty of the giant sequoia and the golden eagle, each important representations of tribal culture. Flowing forms will recall the winding Tule River and organic curves of nature.
HBG’s design of the Eagle Mountain Casino feels connected to the woodland. Natural materials and colors help bring a sense of comfort for guests arriving at the property, for an overall relaxed and welcoming experience.
Green Cuisine
Quil Ceda Creek Casino, Tulalip, Washington
The new Quil Ceda Creek Casino in Tulalip, Washington opened its doors February 3, 2021. The property spans an impressive 126,000 square feet, more than doubling the size of the Tulalip Tribes’ previous casino across the street.
Quil Ceda Creek Casino features a beautifully designed and greatly expanded main casino floor, a new food hall, additional dining options, an innovative entertainment venue and a six-story parking garage with over 1,000 stalls.
The unveiling of The Kitchen, The Landing and other new food and beverage venues supports the tribe’s goal of providing guests with a healthier, safer experience through the use of environmentally conscious “green kitchen” technology, which completely revolutionizes the way food is prepared.
The Kitchen spotlights a new food-hall dining experience where guests may visit one or multiple stations and choose from a variety of made-to-order menu items. Selections are recorded on a single card, and guests pay one bill for all orders when they’re finished, as opposed to “food court” experiences at most other casinos, where patrons pay at each and every station or restaurant they visit.
To prepare food efficiently in a high-output kitchen—without sacrificing flavor and character—the new Q culinary team introduced windspeed ovens and other innovations to the food preparation process. It’s a no-fry, greaseless kitchen with no vents, and the integration of new kitchen technologies has greatly reduced waste output and energy consumption. Even to-go containers have a short life of 90 days and are completely compostable.
The Landing provides a more formal dining experience, with a quieter ambiance and design inspired by the rhythm of the ocean and traditional canoe craftsmanship.
“From the front door to the back door and beyond, the restaurants at the new Quil Ceda Creek Casino will be the ‘greenest’ in the Northwest when they open,” said Belinda Hegnes, interim executive vice president of Quil Ceda Creek Casino. “It’s a tribute to forward thinking by the Tulalip Tribes.”
Washington Gem
Emerald Queen Casino Tacoma
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians opened the new Emerald Queen Casino in late 2020, with design assistance from the Cuningham Group.
The property totals 310,000 square feet and includes a 110,000-square-foot gaming floor, a 21,000-square-foot event center with 2,000 seats, and a 200-room hotel with spa and conference rooms. The property replaces the tribe’s original casino, which opened more than 20 years ago.
The Emerald Queen also recently opened a BetMGM Sportsbook that features a 500-square-foot video wall, more than a dozen 86-inch high-definition televisions, 70 large leather armchairs, six ticket windows, and 30 betting kiosks. Bets can be made on all sports—pro baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey, MMA, motorsports, soccer, tennis, and NCAA baseball, basketball and football. Bets cannot be placed on college teams based in Washington state.
The Emerald Queen Casino balances the eye-catching flash of a Las Vegas-style resort with memorable references to Puyallup tribal culture. Interior elements subtly weave in and draw influence from the textures, shapes and colors of the mountain, river, forests and sounds that define Puyallup tribal land.
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians also owns the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife and BJ’s Bingo & Gaming in Fife.
Hail Caesars… in Washington!
Caesars Sportsbook at the Spokane Tribe Casino
Four days before the Super Bowl, the Spokane Tribe Casino opened its sportsbook. Designed by the Cuningham Group as a part of a larger casino expansion master plan, the Caesars Sportsbook adds a best-in-class sportsbook to the property. The expansion added nearly 40,000 additional square feet to the casino floor, including a large non-smoking gaming area, plus a poker room and the Grill, a quick-service restaurant.
The sportsbook is part of Phase II of an aggressive $400 million economic development plan that calls for a hotel, convention center, dining, retail stores, an entertainment center and a cultural center on the 145-acre site in Airway Heights, Washington.
The partnership with Caesars Sports is an important element of the project, according to Javier De La Rosa, general manager of the Spokane Tribe Casino.
“We wanted to be part of a larger partnership in the sports betting world,” he says. “We’re excited to partner with Caesars Sportsbook to offer in-person sports betting in our new state-of-the-art sportsbook utilizing Caesars’ betting platforms that offer hundreds of ways to wager on sports. This partnership also allows us to bring a new type of guest to the property while offering expanded gaming options for all players.”
“As we look toward the completion of our first phase of expansion, this partnership is an important component for us as a growing casino,” Carol Evans, chairwoman of the Spokane Tribe, added.
For Caesars, it’s part of an effort to build the brand in the tribal casinos of Washington state. Caesars Sportsbooks will also be featured at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn and the Chewelah Casino, which is also owned and operated by the Spokane Tribe. All these operations are tied to the company’s Caesars Rewards program and betting on sports will earn points for all players.
