Indian Gaming
This month Indian Gaming magazine visited Thunder Valley Casino,
located approximately 20 minutes from Sacramento, California in the
town of Lincoln. This expansive casino, which sits on 49 acres of land,
is owned and operated by the United Auburn Indian Community. The tribe
has elected to have the Stations Casino team operate and manage the
facility, which has been a successful business partnership.
Before we began our tour, we learned more about the tribe’s history.
The reestablishment of the United Auburn Indian Tribe began when the
Department of Interior documented the existence of a separate, cohesive
band of Maidu and Miwok Indians, occupying a village on the outskirts
of the city of Auburn in Placer County. In 1917, a reservation was
formally established, known as the Auburn Rancheria. Tribal members
continued to live on the reservation as a community despite great
adversity. In 1953, the United States Congress enacted the Rancheria
Act, authorizing the termination of federal trust responsibilities to a
number of California Indian tribes, including the Auburn Band, leaving
them a mere 2.8-acre parcel of reservation land. In 1978, a new federal
policy, Indian Self-Determination, was adopted and in 1991 the Auburn
band reorganized their tribal government. The tribe's federal
recognition was restored in 1994 with the Auburn Indian Restoration Act
and in 1997 they selected land in the unincorporated area of Placer
County. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Interior took into trust a
49-acre parcel of property for the tribe's casino.
On October 26, 2002, ground was broken on the tribe’s state-of-the-art
gaming and entertainment facility, Thunder Valley Casino. The 200,000
sq. ft. property officially opened on June 9, 2003, with 75,000 sq. ft.
dedicated to gaming space.
Upon our arrival at the casino, we were met by Doug Elmets, public
relations consultant for the tribe. As we began our tour, he gave us an
overview of the casino, which currently has over 2,700 state-of-the-art
slot and video poker machines and more than 100 table games. The United
Auburn Indian Community is one of five California tribes that recently
signed a new compact allowing them an unlimited number of slot
machines.
As we walked through the slot area we could see the floor was comprised
of the newest and most popular slot and video poker games, as well as
the latest progressives. The casino is also the exclusive home to
California Byways, a new game that gives players the opportunity to
drive away in a CTS Cadillac. In addition, several hundred slot
machines are housed in a non-smoking area.
We made our way to the table games area where over 100 table games are
featured, including Blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat,
Texas Hold 'Em, Caribbean Stud and Let it Ride. From there we visited
one of two special VIP high-limit gaming salons. Here guests with a
$50,000 line of credit come with friends to use the room, which
includes a private bar, butler service and dining area where food from
any of the restaurants can be served. Any of the table games can be
played in these private rooms as well. These salons are the only ones
of this type in the state.
The variety of restaurants is impressive, beginning with Austin's
Steakhouse, a five-star establishment that specializes in prime steaks
and seafood in a very elegant setting and Shanghai Fats, a local
favorite serving authentic Asian cuisine in an elegant atmosphere.
Feast Around the World Buffet features Italian, traditional American,
Latin, Asian and seafood selections along with freshly baked pastries
and desserts. Thunder Café is a great place for casual dining, serving
a variety of American cuisine from juicy burgers to fresh pasta, and
for those on the go a food court includes five quick service outlets.
There are five bars serving the casino, including Falls Bar, an
ultra-hip nightspot featuring plasma screens, modern furnishings,
unique lighting and special waterfall effects. Falls Bar is a favorite
among the younger set.
We met with Scott Garawitz, General Manager of the property and part of
the start-up team that opened Thunder Valley Casino for the tribe.
Originally a cow field, Perini Building Company was able to transform
the property into an operating casino in only 226 days. The exterior
was designed by JMA Architecture Studios, and the elaborate interiors
were designed by the Friedmutter Group. The interiors really capture
the spectacular Las Vegas feel with high ceilings and elegant
chandeliers throughout all of the gaming spaces.
“The direction from the tribe was that they wanted a world-class, Las
Vegas-level casino,” explained Garawitz. “So that was the whole goal of
what we tried to do. The exterior of the building is relatively simple,
due to the fact that the tribe wanted something that blended in with
the environment. But inside it's pure Vegas.” Garawitz continued, “The
casino has been well received by its guests, and our team strives to
make the property better each day. We just added about 800 more slot
machines, which gives people more variety and more room to play.
They're all state-of-the-art games,” he continued, “the best and newest
from all the major manufacturers you'd expect. We've tried very hard
from the beginning to stay on the cutting edge of gaming.” The recent
expansion has also allowed for the addition of a non-smoking area,
which has been a customer request since the casino's opening. “Our
guests tell us what they want,” Garawitz said. “They vote with their
feet, or their seat in this case."
Thunder Valley constantly reviews what games guests are playing and
which games they aren't. The games that receive the least play are
cycled off the floor while the games receiving the most play are
multiplied. “We always try to bring new product in,” Garawitz
continued. “Your guests will tell you what they want if you listen to
them.”
A popular comfort feature at the casino are the chairs. “We work very
closely with Gasser Chair Company, who have developed what we believe
is the best ergonomic chair in the business. It's extremely comfortable
for our guests and it has an auto-centering feature, which helps keep
the casino looking neat.”
Another exciting feature at Thunder Valley are the kiosks utilizing
ticket-in, ticket-out technology. The kiosks allow guests to redeem
their tickets for cash or they can use their points to print a comp
ticket for use at any of the property’s restaurants. According to
Garawitz, “The kiosks don't replace the casino's human tellers, though
they do help to free up the tellers' time. We still need just as many
people as we'd need otherwise, but the kiosks allow them to do other
things. Now our team members have more time to interact with the
guests.”
Placer County, where Thunder Valley is located, is the fastest growing
county in California with approximately 5 million people within 100
miles of the property and one million people within 30 miles. There are
two senior citizen living communities within seven miles of the
property. The casino’s player base ranges from 21 years to a
101-year-old customer!
The player rewards system at Thunder Valley, which is going to be
upgraded at the beginning of the year, offers guests comps, invitations
to player parties and entrance in drawings. Thunder Valley has held
car-a-day drawings, drawings for Sacramento Kings tickets, baseball
tickets, concert tickets and Raiders tickets. They are about to do a
drawing for a Lexus based on the guests who use the card. Last month
they held a drawing for a Mercedes. The information in the database is
very carefully analyzed and marketing targets players with individual
offers. They have found this works better than a shotgun effect where
the same offer is sent to thousands of people with the hope that
somebody shows up.
A critical aspect to the operations at Thunder Valley Casino is
customer service. Team member opinion surveys are constantly conducted
to generate ideas on how to improve the level of guest service.
Meetings with team members are regularly held, and according to
management, some of the best ideas have come from employees out on the
floor. New hire training is extensive, including property tours,
property tests, leadership training and mentoring. They pair new hires
with experienced team members who show them the day-to-day,
hour-to-hour responsibilities, enabling them to better understand their
job roles.
Revenue from Thunder Valley Casino helps to fund programs for the
Tribe’s Community Giving Program, which provides up to $1 million
annually to non-profit organizations that improve the quality of life
for tribal members and residents of Placer County. According to Jessica
Tavares, Chairwoman of the United Auburn Community, “Our tribe has long
been committed to giving back to our neighboring communities. After
struggling for generations, the tribe recognizes the importance of
helping those who help others and we are honored to be able to give to
worthy causes now and in the years to come.”
Thunder Valley Casino is an incredible property that will continue to
grow in the near future, considering that the tribe and governor have
agreed to an unlimited slot compact. Our guess is that in a few years
this will be a mega casino like no other in California. We enjoyed our
tour of Thunder Valley Casino and plan to revisit this property often
as they expand operations and continue implementing cutting edge
technologies.
