| Barona Casino | |
|---|---|
| Address | 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road Lakeside, California 92040-1546 |
| No. of rooms | 400 |
| Notable restaurants | Barona Oaks Steakhouse Sage Café Ranch House Buffet Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill Feisty Kate’s Burgers and Malts The Pizza Place Barona Coffee Company HoWan Noodle Shop Gameside Dining |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians |
| Website | http://www.barona.com |
Barona Resort and Casino is an Indian casino on the Barona Indian Reservation located in Lakeside, in northeastern San Diego County in California. It is owned and operated by the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians.[1]
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Barona offers guests over 75 table games including blackjack, poker, Pai gow poker, California-style craps (using playing cards rather than dice, as dice games are not allowed in California casinos), and 2,000 slot and video poker machines. Barona is located in Lakeside, CA, 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, CA.
The casino offers a “Sneak Preview” area which gives gamblers the opportunity to try games not played anywhere else in California. In April 2010 they were the first casino in the country to have Magic Touch slot machines (manufactured by Incredible Technologies). The video slot games allow players to pick the three ways you can win: a low volatility game, designed to win often; a medium volatility game, designed to win steady; and a high volatility game, designed to win big.[2] In February 2010, Barona launched table games with electronic chipless gaming with personalized screens for players. Players use an electronic betting interface/screen which gives players access to a range of betting opportunities while helping speedy and secure game play without having to hold chips in their hands. The chipless games include: i-Table Blackjack, Rapid Roulette and Rapid Baccarat [3]
The legal age of gambling at Barona Casino is 18[4], unlike most California and national casinos, where the age is 21.
Unlike most casinos, Barona chose not to offer alcoholic beverages on the casino floor. It does offer alcoholic beverages in the Barona Oaks Steakhouse, Italian Cucina, Plaza restaurant and El Rancho Grande restaurant. According to leaders of Barona Casino, the winding and hilly nature of Wildcat Canyon Road, which serves as the main access route into Barona Indian Reservation, is a primary factor that led to this decision.[5]
The on-site Barona Creek Golf Club, designed by Gary Roger Baird, is a par 72 18-hole course that measures 7,088 yards in distance. In addition, the Barona Casino has a total of nine restaurants that vary in style and price at the casino and hotel. The hotel itself is one of the largest in terms of capacity among California Indian casinos.
In 1875, the federal government established the Capitan Grande Reservation for the native people living in the northern parts of what is today Greater San Diego at that time. About 40 years later, in 1932, the city bought the Capitan Grande Reservation to build a reservoir. In 1932, without a homeland but with money in their pockets, members of that tribe bought the Barona Ranch, the current location of the Barona Indian reservation.
Until the early 1990s, the Barona Tribe struggled economically in the backwoods of San Diego County. In 1994, the tribe, with the consulting guidance of Venture Catalyst, opened the Barona Casino "Big Top." The casino has become the means to a restoration of self-sufficiency, prosperity and renewed hope. Unemployment and welfare dependency have dropped from 70 percent to below five percent on the Barona reservation.
On December 29, 2009, local media reported a shooting indicent at the casino involving a disgruntled ex-employee.[6]
Barona Resort & Casino is home to the only Blackjack Hall of Fame in the gaming industry. In addition to featuring some of the world’s leading blackjack players, the Hall of Fame also features the world’s largest public display of ancient cheating devices.
There was a report of gunfire and a suspect locking himself in an office at the casino on December 29, 2009. The gunman killed a Gaming Commission Supervisor before killing himself in the Gaming Commission office, which is located behind the casino.[7]