California tribes attract patrons amid recession

Tuesday, July 14, 2009  

Tribes in California are still attracting patrons to their casinos despite the national recession.

But customers are spending less during their visits. And revenues have fallen 5.9 percent in the past year, the National Indian Gaming Commission said in a recent report.

Yet casino executives remained optimistic. They are promoting their non-gaming amenities, like restaurants, in order to keep visitors coming.

Also, some tribes have scaled back or put off expansions of their facilities. And some have cut jobs at their casinos and reduced hours of operation.

“The overall impact filters right on down,” Bo Mazzetti, the chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians, told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “That filters down to the tribe. Down to each member.”

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Casinos trim and adapt to trying times with success (The San Diego Union-Tribune 7/14)