Tribal Casinos Seeing Shift in Gaming- Part 1
Although the recession hit casinos hard, some are still doing great. Just ask the Southern California’s San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in San Bernardino County! Both are experiencing almost every seat at the 25-cent slot machines is filled. In both casinos, gamblers have to stand around and wait for their turn at the blackjack tables. Also, the reels on the penny slot machines are going constantly at both facilities.
Despite the people still being there, one thing is for sure. People have cut back on spending. No longer are the bigger slot machines being used…in fact, slots over $10 don’t have much of a fighting chance with gamblers. Mike Hiles, a tribal information officer for the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, said, “We have the same amount of people and they come in as frequently, but they are just spending less.” Hiles operates a casino that has 2,000 slot machines, 20 gaming tables and two restaurants in the San Jacinto area.
Another industry study is showing that tribal casinos are surviving solely because of people giving up traveling to big-city casino locations like Atlantic City and Las Vegas. They are instead opting to take short-term trips to local Indian casinos. As a result, Indian casinos avoided the huge decline in tourist traffic that the big cities did. They are a welcomed convenience for gamblers who still want to play, but can’t afford to take a long plan ride and then hotel stay into their budget. Players can travel a few hours and gamble just like they would in a big city casino.
Part two coming next.
