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Treasure Island Resort & Casino recently announced it willbreak ground on a $50 million project that includes 230 addi-tional hotel rooms, an event center featuring entertainmentand convention space, and a family fun center. Construction beganJune 1 and the project is expected to be completed in fall of 2008.

The development includes an additional two hotel wings,featuring 230 hotel rooms, increasing Treasure Island's roomcount to 480 rooms. The new rooms consist of 25 suites, fea-turing six end-suites with the capability of becoming three orfour bedrooms and 205 standard rooms. Each room will beequipped with upscale furnishings and incorporate walk-inshowers to accommodate guests. The focal feature of the hotelis the impressive illuminated sky bridge, which connects thehotel wings together. This sky bridge will maximize the scenicriver views and house three suites on each floor.

In addition to the hotel project, a new 30,000 sq. ft. eventcenter will allow Treasure Island to enhance entertainmentoptions. The center includes a 2,800-seat showroom that willnearly triple the current size of the venue allowing TreasureIsland to host bigger convention events as well as prominentnational entertainers. The event center can break into sixmeeting rooms, each with a separate entrance.

"This project allows us to meet the growing needs of our hoteland convention guests," said Frank Loth, Treasure Island Resort& Casino Interim General Manager and Director of Finance."For several years we've had to turn away many large

corporate events because we haven't had the space for them. Nowwe'll have the capacity to host these conventions and events,which will bring new visitors and tourism dollars to the area."

Another exciting aspect of this project is the family fun center, which allows Treasure Island to create a truly uniqueentertainment destination. The center features a 24-laneBrunswickTM bowling alley, separate party rooms, snack bar,arcade and lounge area. "Upon completion, our guests will havemore entertainment options," commented Loth. "We want toaccommodate our guests and continue to provide the bestentertainment experience possible."

Treasure Island is pleased to continue supporting local vendors by contracting Knutson Construction, from Rochesterand RSP Architects from Minneapolis for the construction anddesign of the project.

Treasure Island Resort & Casino Announces $50 Million Project

Pechanga Resort & Casino Celebrates Grand Opening of High-Stakes Lounge

The grand opening of Pechanga Resort & Casino’s new HighLimit Salon marks the start of a new era for California casinoresorts by taking the experience of luxury and service to a newlevel. Pechanga tribal commission leaders and casino executivescut a rib ribbon at its entrance and officially opened California’sfirst luxury, high-stakes gaming venue.

“The High Limit Salon provides our guests – who enjoy high-stakes games – with a level of privacy, luxury and service theycan find nowhere else in California,” said Amy Minniear,President of Pechanga Development Corporation. “It’ssomething our customers told us they wanted, and we are pleasedto be able to provide it for them.”

Following the ribbon cutting, VIP guests enjoyed a red carpetparty, and each guest received High Limit Salon chips. Ahighlight was four models, clad in traditional Far East attire.They represented the Far Eastern influences that inspired thedécor and design of the High Limit Salon.

Inside the $14 million High Limit Salon, guests playBlackjack, PaiGow Poker, Midi-Baccarat and Big Baccarat attables set in luxurious style. All are high-stakes games with $100table minimums. “We put a lot of research and creativity intothe development and design of the High Limit Salon; we evenbrought in a Feng Shui master to help. It is working well andour guests let us know they’ve been pleased from the start,” saidJohn James, Pechanga General Manager.

Anigre, an African hardwood, was chosen for the panelingwith accents done in another exotic wood, Paldao, with alacquered finish. Crystal chandeliers hang from the 16-ft.domed ceilings in the Midi-Baccarat lounge. Two private rooms

Pechanga executives and tribal members cut the ribbon for the grandopening of the casino’s new High Limit Salon. L-R: Steve Miller, JimGuenthner,Kim Sumimoto,John Palinkas,Amy Minniear,Ken Perez,GregSheets and John James.

June 2007 Indian Gaming 35

“Saturday night here will never be the same again,” saidRandy Johnson, general manager of the new $3.4 million facilitybuilt by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. “It's theLamborghini of bowling centers.” Revved up with hundredsof thousands of dollars in the latest high tech sound from Bose,dazzling dance club lighting and sleek, state-of-the-art lanes,Canyon Lanes at Morongo is set for a strike.

Families, teens, couples on a date, weekend keglers and

serious pin crushers all have a new place for fun because CanyonLanes at Morongo is open with 24 lanes of bowling foreveryone. Located just east of the Morongo Casino Resort andSpa, inside the former casino building, Canyon Lanes covers30,000 sq. ft. Each of the two dozen lanes can accommodate12 people, and the facility has an overall capacity of 288people. Guests can enter on the building's north side wherethere is both valet parking and ample public parking. CanyonLanes at Morongo will be open seven days a week.

“This is another important step in expanding the recreationalopportunities associated with the Morongo Casino Resort andSpa. At the same time we expect this project will help to enhancethe quality of life for everyone who lives in the area,” saidMorongo tribal chairman Robert Martin. “By diversifying ourleisure offerings, we are helping to ensure continued economicgrowth and stability for the community as a whole.” Martinsaid the total investment to retrofit the building and create thenew bowling center was approximately $3.4 million and thatthe center will employ approximately 25 to 30 people whenfully staffed.

Wilhelm Construction & Development, the generalcontractor for the project, oversaw the gutting of the originalinterior and the new installation. Dallas-based ScheirmanAssociates Architects oversaw the interior design of the facility.

Lights! Action! High Tech Bowling! Morongo Tribe Opens State-of-the-Art Canyon Lanes

also are wood paneled and feature rare honey onyx partitions.The carpets are a custom pattern produced in England especiallyfor the High Limit Salon. Attention to detail makes the salonmemorable, James said.

Only top shelf liquors are available from the bar, includinghard-to-find items such as a 50-year-old vintage of The Macallansingle-malt Scotch whisky and other premium spirits and high-end cognacs. A private dining area helps make the High-Limit

Salon a VIP sanctuary. It will serve high-end coffees, teas, horsd’oeurves and appetizers. Concierge service is available throughservers in the dining area, and they cater to any special needsguests may have, James added.

The 16,000 sq. ft. High Limit Salon adds 21 high-stakes tablegames, with two private gaming salons, to the Pechanga Resort& Casino’s existing high-limit gaming area with 235 slotmachines.

L-R: Robert Martin, Chairman Morongo Band of Mission Indians andBrenda Salas, Mayor of Banning officially cut the ribbon at the openingof Canyon Lanes at Morongo.

Win-River Announces $90 Million Expansion Plan Following its bi-annual State of the Tribe address, The Red-

ding Rancheria made the much anticipated announcement of thealmost $90 million expansion of its Win-River Casino that willcreate a gaming and entertainment tourist destination in the Red-ding market. Construction is scheduled to start in October of2007, with the entire project completed by September 2009. Thegeneral contractor will be announced at a future date.

“Redding Rancheria’s Win-River Casino has experiencedexcellent growth during its over 14 years in business. It is timeto move to the next level and provide our guests with the kindof gaming and entertainment experience that they can enjoy atany large tourist destination,” said Gary Hayward, Win-RiverCasino General Manager.

While making the announcement, the Tribe unveiled anarchitectural rendering of the new Win-River Casino that

36 Indian Gaming June 2007

EXPANSIONS

revealed an eight-story, 175-room, 3-star rated hotel that willbe a cornerstone of the new property.

“The hotel will provide the opportunity to expand our enter-tainment product beyond the local market and bring tourist dol-lars to Redding and the entire Northstate,” Hayward said.

The hotel will offer luxury suites and a club lounge on thetop floor, a 2000-seat multipurpose events center for concerts,meetings and banquets, an indoor/outdoor pool, a full-servicespa, a gift shop, and an attached garage with 1,000 parking spaces.Each hotel room will be equipped with state-of-the-art Inter-net access.

The 75,000 sq. ft. casino will be expanded to over 200,000sq. ft. to accommodate 2,000 slot machines and 28 table games.The casino currently offers 951 slot machines and 18 tablegames. The poker room also will be expanded from its currenteight tables to 20. “The gaming floor will include more of thenewest and most popular machines and all of our guest’s favorites.And with poker’s popularity continuing to grow, we will be ableto offer more tables and seats any time during the day,” Hayward said. The expansion also will include a new 125-seat,

gourmet steakhouse and a new 250-seat buffet. The construc-tion will be completed in stages and the casino will stay openduring the course of the entire construction schedule. “Our guestswill not be inconvenienced in any way,” he added.

Redding Rancheria tribal history and tradition will be amajor theme throughout the expansion and renovation. The mostprominent example will be the 25-foot-high sculpture of a traditional burden basket that will welcome guests at the mainentrance of both the hotel and the casino. The art will repre-sent a full basket of wealth and good fortune for every personwho comes to enjoy the property.

“Without the support of our community, both tribal and local,we would not be where we are today,” said Hayward. “Becauseof the vision of our tribal elders we are able to stand tall and proudof the economic diversity we have been able to help create overthe past eight years. I believe we have just begun! The devel-opment of the new and improved Redding Rancheria’s Win-RiverCasino will be a new chapter in the growth, success and contin-ued development of present and future generations,” Haywardcommented.

Valley View Casino recently announced the opening datesof its elegant new steakhouse. Valley View will open thedoors to its Black&Blue steakhouse on June 1. Chef JamesMontejano, formerly of Café Japengo in La Jolla andrestaurant manager Adam Saks, most recently from SanDiego's Red Pearl Kitchen will oversee the grand opening.

Black&Blue, “The Place for Steak,” is a contemporaryAmerican steakhouse with Las Vegas flair and San Diegoattitude, featuring Southern California's finest steaks andfreshest seafood as well as an innovative wine list andcreative cocktails. The room has been designed with deepwoods, rich granites and sensual style to transport every guestinto a world of indulgence and taste. Along with prime cuts

of filet mignon, New York strip and Porterhouse steaks,Black&Blue will also feature fresh salmon and halibut,unique appetizers and decadent homemade desserts as wellas their signature Surf & Turf presentation with a casinotwist-should a guest desire, they can choose to gamble forthe price of their meal.

The Black&Blue restaurant and lounge will be open sevendays a week, with the lounge opening daily at 2 p.m. andthe restaurant opening nightly at 4:30 p.m.

In addition to working as the executive chef at La Jolla'srenowned Café Japengo, Chef James Montejano has workedwith some of the top restaurants in California including Aquain San Francisco, Pacifica Del Mar, Pamplemousse Grill inSolana Beach and the Four Season Carlsbad. Restaurantmanager Adam Saks has extensive hospitality managementexperience, working for companies such as Hyatt Hotels,Caesars Palace, Cohn Restaurant Group and PlanetHollywood.

“With Chef James and Adam at the helm combined withthe amazing guest service provided by our entire team, weare confident that Black&Blue will quickly become one ofSan Diego's favorite dining destinations, not only forcasino patrons but for local foodies as well,” said AnthonyLayton-Matthews, vice president of food and beverage atValley View Casino. “We can't wait to show the world ourbeautiful new restaurant on June 1st.”

Valley View Casino Executive Chef Josef Pilz agreed,“Our focus on using only the finest quality meats, seafoodand produce along with the exquisite presentation of eachdish will make Black&Blue a culinary experience that ourguests will never forget.”

Valley View Casino to Open Black&Blue Steakhouse & Lounge

The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency of theDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS), held a formaldedication of the new Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Health CareCenter located east of Sisseton, South Dakota, on May 10.

“The impressive accomplishment stands as an example ofwhat can be achieved through the determination and leadershipof the tribes, HHS, and the IHS. It is a real pleasure to seethe completion of this new facility and staff quarters,” statedDr. Charles Grim, IHS Director. “This new facility will providelong-needed health care services and will make a real differencein improving the health and well being of those living in thisarea of South Dakota.”

The new 85,574 sq. ft. facility and the accompanying 62 new

staff quarters are designed to improve the health status ofresidents of the service area. This new facility will serve a userpopulation of 6,600.

This new facility replaces a 26,200 sq. ft. IHS facility inAgency Village, South Dakota. All existing outpatientservices will be maintained, and optometry and physicaltherapy services will be added. In addition, space will beprovided for health programs operated by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, including community health,maternal and child health, child protection, tribal healthadministration, and ambulance service. The facility is builtto house a total staff of 170 full-time employees, whichincludes 28 tribally funded positions. ¨

Indian Health Service Dedicates New Health Care Center in Sisseton, South Dakota

June 2007 Indian Gaming 37