Barona Casino
| Barona Resort and Casino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Barona Resort and Casino | |
| Address | 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road Lakeside, California 92040-1546 |
| Opening date | December 31, 2002 |
| Theme | Ranch |
| No. of rooms | 400 |
| Total gaming space | 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) |
| Signature attractions | Barona Creek Golf Course |
| Notable restaurants | Barona Oaks Steakhouse Italian Cucina Sage Café Seasons Fresh Buffet Plaza Grill El Rancho Grande Three Amigos World Famous Street Tacos Feisty Kate’s Burgers and Malts The Pizza Place HoWan Noodle Shop |
| 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]
Casino
Barona offers guests over 75 table games including blackjack, poker, Pai gow poker, California-style craps (using playing cards to determine the outcome of a roll rather than only dice, as dice-only games are not allowed in California tribal casinos), California-style routlette (using cards) and 2,000 slot and video poker machines. Barona is located in Lakeside, CA, 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, CA.
Barona Casino was the first gaming enterprise in the 1990's to create the TI/TO system (Ticket In/Ticket Out also called a voucher) which lead the way for the gaming industry to create the wildly popular Penny slot denomination machine.
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,I-Table Three Card Poker, I-Table Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Rapid Roulette and Rapid Baccarat [3]
Barona Casino also has a room dedicated to poker. They have 15 tables, featuring Texas Hold'em only. The limits are low, and the room is a non-smoking room.[4]
The legal age of gambling at Barona Casino is 18.[5] While the legal age for gambling in California is 18 many tribal casinos in California set an age limit of 21 in order to comply with their alcohol license.[6] Children under the age of 18 are allowed in the casino before 8pm for dining only (10pm for children of hotel guests).
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.[7]
Resort
The Barona Hotel opened on Jan 1, 2003 and is an AAA Four Diamond award winning resort featuring 364 deluxe rooms and 33 luxury suites.[8] Amenities include AmBience Day Spa, Fitness Center, Business Center, Pool, Meeting Rooms, Wedding Chapel and the Barona Creek Golf Club. The Barona Creek Golf Course was designed by Gary Roger Baird, and 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.
Barona Tribal History
In 1875, the federal government established the Capitan Grande Reservation for the native people living, at that time, in the northern parts of what is today Greater San Diego. 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.
Blackjack Hall of Fame
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.
Club Barona
Barona offers a players’ club called Club Barona. Players can sign up for the club and earn benefits based on their play. Players can use their card while playing slots or table games and earn Club Barona Points that can be used for a variety of benefits. The more points earned, the higher level you can achieve, from Bronze, Gold, Platinum, to Diamond, which affords the most benefits of the club.
References
- ↑ "Barona Casino." 500 Nations. (retrieved 6 June 2010)
- ↑ Market Wire. "Revolutionary New Magic Touch Penny Slot Machine Appears for the First Time in U.S. at Barona Resort & Casino", "Market Wire", Retrieved on Apr 22, 2010 13:30 ET.
- ↑ Casino Enterprise Management Magazine. "Barona Shuffles the Deck With New Chipless Blackjack", Publish Date February 4, 2010.
- ↑ Barona Valley Ranch Resort Review
- ↑ http://www.barona.com/casino/
- ↑ http://500nations.com/California_Casinos.asp
- ↑ Stutz, Howard. "CALIFORNIA GAMING: TRIBES FLY HIGH: San Diego leads the charge that makes California hotbed for U.S. tribal gaming", "Las Vegas Review-Journal", 2006-04-23. Retrieved on 2009-07-18.
- ↑ "$260 Million Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino Now Open". Retrieved 16 March 2013.
External links
Coordinates: 32°56′23″N 116°52′26″W / 32.9398°N 116.873857°W