Aqua Casino Reopening

Six casinos in or near the Coachella Valley are opening their doors Friday to guests who are ready to gamble on slot machines and card games, despite a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom to stay closed.

• 17.8k Followers, 1,827 Following, 1,859 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Agua Caliente Casinos (@aguacalientecasinos).
• Since reopening in June, Pechanga Resort Casino has enforced health and safety measures that are even more stringent than what surrounding jurisdictions initially imposed, including mandatory masks, temperature screenings, and limited operations.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians announced on Wednesday it will reopen the doors to its casinos in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage at noon on Friday with several new safety measures in.

Newsom sent a letter to California tribes on May 15 urging them not to reopen their gaming facilities. But tribes are sovereign nations and don't have to follow local or state stay-at-home orders. Several popular casinos in the San Diego area opened earlier this week.

Casinos are considered higher-risk workplaces because of the volume of people they bring in and fall under Stage 3 of the governor's reopening plan. Other businesses in Stage 3 have not been allowed to reopen yet.

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When the doors to Spotlight 29 Casino near Coachella opened at 10 a.m., after a closure that's lasted more than two months, someone from the crowd yelled out “Freedom!”

By that time, more than 150 people were already in line to get in.

Over 200 people had entered the casino by 10:15 a.m. Employees at the entrance said people began lining up just after 8:30 a.m., with some saying they had driven from as far as the Los Angeles area and Orange County.

Guests had to get their temperatures checked by security as they pulled up in their vehicles to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Security staff declined to tell The Desert Sun whether they had turned anyone away.

Everyone who entered the casino was required to wear a face mask, with one provided if needed. Blue latex gloves were also offered, but not required to enter.

“I saved a lot of money the last couple months, quarantined inside,' joked Larry Potter, who drove by himself from Banning. 'Hopefully I don’t lose it today.'

Adam Levy, assistant director of marketing for Spotlight 29, said the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians was meticulous in organizing the opening, following guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Riverside County. The casino opened only one entrance, so staff could turn people away in their cars, if needed.

Levy said capacity is 2,200, but the casino is only allowing 500 people in at a time to start. That will hopefully change in time, he said. The casino is not hosting a buffet for safety reasons, Levy added, and that was the only complaint he’d heard on Friday.

Inside the casino, staff were enforcing social distancing and facial coverings. Staff wiped down machines, too. Naturally, not everyone was 6 feet apart at all times, but staff were doing their best to enforce it.

At least two women, Cori Francis and Cheryl Pegram, both of Cathedral City, said they planned to go to the other Coachella Valley casinos reopening Friday.

“This has been the craziest time of my life,' Francis said. 'Hopefully this is the start of things returning to normal.”

Pegram said she had 'dreamt of this moment' when she could get out again.

The Spotlight 29 Casino and the Tortoise Rock Casino near Twentynine Palms were the first to open in the valley Friday, followed by the Agua Caliente casinos in Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs.

While the Agua Caliente casinos were scheduled to open at noon, the Rancho Mirage facility opened its doors at 11 a.m. All entrances were open, with security checking people's temperatures inside. Masks were available for those who didn’t bring their own.

About 400 patrons were inside the Rancho Mirage casino by Friday afternoon, and shops and eateries like Waters Cafe, Java Caliente, Swarovski and Sports Bar 360 were bustling. Like at Spotlight 29, Purell hand sanitizer stations could be found all over the casino. Sanitation crews meticulously wiped down machines, and staff tried to enforce social distancing.

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe paid a visit to his tribe's casinos Friday.

“I walked the floors as we re-opened our casinos today,” Grubbe told The Desert Sun in an email. “All safety protocols are in place, and our team members and guests were appreciative that we are open again. It feels good to have nearly 1,500 team members back to work and to know that the Tribe is playing a big part in jump starting the Coachella Valley economy again.”

In announcing its reopening, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians cited the Riverside County Board of Supervisors' vote supporting tribal governments' reopening of their casinos with social distancing measures in place and personal protective equipment provided for staff.

'The County of Riverside has no jurisdiction over tribal lands,' Riverside County spokeswoman Brooke Federico said on Friday. 'We ask that all businesses consider the ways they can implement safer practices for their employees and customers when considering reopening.'

The Morongo Casino & Resort near Banning and the nearby original Casino Morongo were scheduled to open at 2 p.m., but actually opened their doors around 11:30 a.m. There was no line at first, but once the scheduled opening time came around the parking garage was packed. The casino marquee read “Mask required” and “Good times are back!”

It was the most bustling of the casinos and had more than 150 people in line outside at 2:45 p.m., more than three hours after it opened. Signs were placed outside the entrance to the casino Friday afternoon to inform guests there may be a one- to two-hour wait. Several hopeful gamblers decided to give up after standing in the long line for 20 minutes, heading back to their cars.

Simon Farmer, executive director of marketing for Morongo Casino & Resort, said that the determination was made around 3 p.m. not to let additional guests in until more visitors exited. Farmer wouldn't share an estimate of how many customers were inside at the time, but he said fewer than the casino's total 4,000 slot machines were in use.

He said that the number of occupants allowed will be determined by casino management 'in real time,' depending on what staff members are observing on the floor.

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As for opening the casino earlier in the day than the 2 p.m. scheduled time, Farmer said management felt there was no reason to wait any longer. First, VIPs were welcomed in at 9 a.m. for a first look of the expanded and renovated casino.

'As the day went on, we had such a force of team members here ready to serve our guests, ready to implement our new safety protocols and procedures, that we knew we were ready to let the guests that were waiting outside come inside,' he said.

David Hakimfar and Sam Alishahi traveled to the casino's reopening from Los Angeles. They left with less money than when they entered, but it didn't dampen their spirits.

“Together, we lost 400 bucks, with pleasure. I’m happy that I gave money to the Indian reservation and I thank them,” Alishahi said.

“It feels like the foot of Gavin Newsom and (Los Angeles Mayor) Eric Garcetti has been taken off our throats and we’re getting a taste of freedom,” Hakimfar added.

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Once inside, each guest's temperature was taken, and masks were required. Video screens inside said “Welcome back!” and encouraged anyone with a fever to “exit, see a doctor and come back soon.”

Purell stations were set up throughout and the entire staff at Morongo, from security guards to blackjack dealers, wore black or gray masks with the casino’s name and logo.

The buffet was closed but most of the other eateries inside were open. The casino will be open 24-7 moving forward.

Changes to expect at the casinos

At the Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs and Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage, visitors can expect the following new precautions because of COVID-19:

• Temperature checks upon entry
• Face covering and social distancing requirements
• No smoking allowed inside the properties
• A 50% occupancy limit
• Reduction of seats at table games and on the casino floors
• 'Intense cleaning efforts' using antimicrobial product throughout the properties
• To remain closed: the Sunset Spa, The Show, Pivat Cigar Lounge, The District and the resort pool at the Rancho Mirage casino. Also, buffets at both casinos will remain closed.

Guests at the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians' Spotlight 29 and Tortoise Rock casinos can anticipate these changes:

• Temperature checks for all before entry.
• Masks required for guests and staff. If guests do not have a mask, a free one will be provided to them.
• Employees to be tested for the virus before returning to work and to undergo 'periodic testing' for the foreseeable future.
• Removal of half of the slot chairs removed and no table games, to make social distancing possible.
• Restaurants and bars to also be set up for social distancing.
• Slot machines to be sanitized at least once an hour.
• Hand sanitizing encouraged, with dispensers located throughout the properties.
• New UV/ionization air purifying equipment in place, which is also used in healthcare facilities.

At the Morongo Casino & Resort, owned by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, visitors will get their first glimpse at the newly completed 65,000-square-foot expansion and renovation project. Among other additions are new restaurants and a 30% expansion of the gaming floor. Most of the project was done before the casino had to close, but the project officially wrapped during the closure.

Here are changes guests returning to the new casino and original Casino Morongo can anticipate:

• Fewer seats at table games and slot machines, with some deactivated and others with plexiglass. Plexiglass shields will also be available for table game players.
• Social distancing to be enforced and seating to be limited at open restaurants.
• To remain closed: the Oasis Pool, Sage Spa, Fitness Center, Cielo Steakhouse, Potrero Canyon Buffet, valet parking, and the poker and bingo rooms
• Touchless temperature checks for all guests and employees before entering
• Reduced entrances to ensure complete temperature screening
• Face mask requirement for all guests, employees and vendors
• Additional automatic hand sanitizing stations throughout the properties
• Air filters to be cleaned more frequently. The casinos' HVAC systems draw in fresh air from outside of the casinos.

Two Coachella Valley casinos remain closed

Of casinos in the Coachella Valley, both the Fantasy Springs Casino and Augustine Casino have yet to make reopening dates public.

Jef Bauer, general manager of Augustine Casino near Coachella, said this week that the casino will not reopen before June 1.

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'The Tribe is adamant that we not rush into reopening and that we put the health and safety of our team members and guests first,' Bauer said in a written statement Friday. 'We are taking a cautious and slow approach to this.'

In early April, Bauer said in an interview with The Desert Sun that closures stretching into June would be devastating for tribes, with costs for reopening similar to start-up costs for a big gaming facility.

'You’re basically going to have to fire up all the engines — marketing, hiring,” Bauer said at the time. “There could be all kinds of costs that you wouldn’t even normally have during that time, and your revenues are coming in low. So, the expenses will just be crippling for some businesses, if we’re not able to get this under control soon and get open.”

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Fantasy Springs has been announcing new and rescheduled concert dates. The soonest upcoming event on the calendar that hasn't been canceled or postponed is a Chicago concert, set for Sept. 12. For a full list of upcoming shows, go to fantasyspringsresort.com.

Risa Johnson covers Native American affairs in the Coachella Valley and beyond. She can be reached at risa.johnson@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4737. Follow her on Twitter @risamjohnson.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'Dreamt of this moment': Reopening day is here for six casinos around the Coachella Valley