"It was 15 years ago this month that we first opened the doors of our Chumash Casino to an enthusiastic crowd — including many guests who continue to visit us today.

We opened with 210 slot machines, a few table games, bingo and an expectation of success. Little did we know that the casino would prove to be the beginning of our tribe’s venture into the world of successful entrepreneurialism and turn us into the largest employer in the Santa Ynez Valley.

When we first began our gaming venture 15 years ago, one of our goals was to offer local residents an entertainment option. As we learned when we opened for the first time in 1994, gaming was an entertainment option that was welcomed with open arms and happy faces.

The line to walk through the doors on that first day was wrapped around the original stucco building, and guests were excited to try their hand at gaming in a friendly environment.

In addition to gaming, we have offered entertainment in the form of performances from legendary rockers, award-winning country artists and laugh-out-loud comedians. Offering 15 years of solid performances has placed us on the entertainment map permanently, and we were nominated by the Academy of Coun-try Music as casino of the year — one of only a handful of casinos across the U.S. to be nominated."

Get the Story:
Richard Gomez: In celebration of 15 years (The Santa Ynez Valley News 6/1)