The Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians owns and operates the Chicken Ranch Casino in Jamestown, California. Photo: Chicken Ranch Rancheria

Chicken Ranch Rancheria undertakes casino expansion with eye toward future growth

The Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians is making long-term plans to expand its casino and grow the tribal economy..

The tribe just added an event hall to the Chicken Ranch Casino in Jamestown, California. Another 247 gaming machines, nine tables and a coffee shop are coming to the facility as part of an ongoing expansion smoke-free project, My Motherlode News and The Union Democrat reported.

“It’s going to allow our guests to have a much better experience,” Chairman Lloyd Mathiesen told The Democrat of a project that's expected to be complete in May. “Hopefully, it will drive more business as well.”

Further down the line, the tribe is interested in building an entirely new casino within five to eight years, Mathiesen told My Motherlode News. But he noted that the tribe needs to negotiate a Class III gaming compact with the state, an issue that's the subject of a new lawsuit.

According to the complaint, a copy of which was posted by Turtle Talk, the state has tried to force the tribe to agree to include provisions in the compact that are not related to gaming. The lawsuit accuses the state of failing to negotiate in "good faith" as required by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The work at the casino and the lawsuit aren't the only development news for tribe. The historic Jamestown Hotel came under tribal ownership on Friday.

“We know we need to constantly move, adapt, and change when it comes to business,” Mathiesen told The Union Democrat.

Read More on the Story
Chicken Ranch Casino Eyes Economic Growth (My Motherlode News February 4, 2019)
Chicken Ranch tribe undertakes projects to grow footprint in community (The Union Democrat February 1, 2019)
California Native American tribes file suit against state over gaming compact (Legal NewsLine January 18, 2019)

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