The Twenty-Nine
Palms Band of Mission Indians in California welcomed visitors to its new gaming facility on Monday.
The 30,000 square-foot Tortoise Rock Casino features 490 slot machines, seven table games, a cafe, a bar and a lounge.
It's viewed as a place where locals can hang out -- even the younger ones, since the gambling age has been lowered to 18.
"With nothing really up here in the High Desert and the military base, it just made sense to put a small, local casino in the community," general manager Tom Sedlock told The Palm Springs Desert Sun.
The tribe operates the Spotlight 29 Casino
on a different portion of its land base.
Get the Story:
Tortoise Rock Casino opens in Twentynine Palms
(The Palm Springs Desert Sun 4/1)
New Casino Opens in the High Desert
(KESQ 3/31)
New casino gambles on younger market
(The Orange County Register 3/31)
An Opinion:
Editorial: Welcome to new neighbors
(The Hi Desert Star 3/27)
Related Stories:
Twenty-Nine Palms Band to open 2nd casino at end of March
(03/17)