Posted on: September 8, 2024, 07:29h.
Last updated on: September 8, 2024, 07:32h.
Ground was broken on Saturday for the future site of the North Fork Mono Casino & Resort. The $400,000 property, expected to open in 2026, will be owned by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California and developed and managed by Las Vegas-based Station Casinos (NASDAQ: RRR).
Hundreds of tribal citizens, community members and Station representatives witnessed the ceremony on the tribe’s federal trust land about 25 miles northwest of Fresno, Calif.
The casino was envisioned in 2003, when the Tribe first pursued 305 acres of land off Highway 99. The project won its first substantial federal support in 2011, when the US Secretary of the Interior approved its development under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Two years later, a state-tribe gaming contract was negotiated and ratified by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
Construction was delayed by several legal challenges — from activists, nearby businesses and casino interests — between 2013 and 2017. Those cases were overturned by the California Supreme Court in August 2020.
“Today’s groundbreaking culminates over 20 years of careful and respectful collaboration between our sovereign nation and governmental partners at all levels,” North Fork Rancheria tribal chair Fred Beihn said on Saturday. “Today, we stand on the shoulders of many tribal leaders who came before us and wish to thank the numerous regional leaders who respected our cause, our approach, and our ambition to improve the quality of life for our citizens as well as our surrounding community.”
Pre-construction is already underway on the 100,000 square-foot facility, which will be located at 17770 Golden State Blvd. in Madera, Calif.
The North Fork Mono Casino will feature 2,000 slot machines and 40 table games open 24/7, as well as two full-service restaurants and six quick-serve dining options, 3,000 parking spaces, and free valet parking.
Stations initially managed three other tribal casinos:
- Thunder Valley Casino Resort near Sacramento, Calif., owned by the United Auburn Indian Community
- Graton Resort & Casino near Santa Rosa, Calif., owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and
- Gun Lake Casino near Grand Rapids, Mich., owned by the Gun Lake Tribe of Pottawatomi Indians.
In each case, the tribes opted to take over management themselves after their contracts with Station expired.
