Californian casinos have been in a battle with Las Vegas for many years, trying to ensure they don’t lose customers to Sin City. The battle continues to this day, with numerous tribal casinos in California recently undertaking extensive renovation projects. The hope is that when these projects are complete, they’ll be able to rival the best Las Vegas has to offer.
Several Californian casinos are undergoing extensive renovations to better compete with Las Vegas
Californian Casinos Renovating to Fight Back
As it stands right now, at least four Californian casinos have renovation and construction projects underway. The casinos are the Pechanga, Pala, Viejas, and Sycuan. Some of the renovations are expected to be completed in 2018, while others will only be done in 2019. Each casino is focusing on different things when it comes to the renovations, but generally speaking, the casinos are improving their gaming floors, and adding new restaurants and spas.
The Pechanga, for example, is spending over $280 million on its renovations, which will be starting shortly. The renovation to this Californian casino will see the casino floor increase to 200 000 square feet, which is bigger than any gaming floor in Las Vegas. The renovations will also add an additional 568 hotel rooms, a luxury spa, a fitness center, and a convention space that will offer 40000 square feet.
Las Vegas Has its Own Plans
Californian casinos have really started to take notes from Las Vegas and are embracing the integrated casino resort model. These resorts aim to cater for visitors who gamble, as well as those who don’t. The casinos in California are also starting to target mature tourists without children. Many of the renovations at these Californian casinos are including adult-only swimming pools and hotel rooms.
While these Californian casinos fight back, Las Vegas is fighting as well. There are still plans to build a high-speed train from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, although the tribal casinos have fought to stop it. Las Vegas is also looking at widening the highway from California, Interstate 15, to try and deal with the traffic jams that occur on weekends.
