The Luiseño Indians have been based in the Temecula Valley over 10,000 years, with evidence of pottery, tools and artwork existing in both Riverside and San Diego. Despite being evicted from the land during the 1800s, the Pechanga Indian Reservation was later established and the Pechanga people were able to return.
Since the Indian Gaming Acts of 1988, 1998 and 2000 were introduced, the Pechanga people have been able to use the revenue from their casino to purchase more land to expand the reservation and better protect the interests of the tribe.
The Pechanga Band of Indians opened their first gaming operation in 2002 with Pechanga Resort Casino, which has since grown into one of the largest resorts in the US.
The Pechanga Tribal Council is made up of seven members who are elected by the rest of the Tribe. These are Mark Macarro, Chairman; Catalina Chason, Councilwoman; Robert Munoa, Councilman; Marc Luker, Councilman; Raymond Basquez Jr, Councilman; Michael Vasquez, Councilman; Joseph Murphy, Councilman; Louise Burke, Secretary; and Amy Minniear, Treasurer.
In 2002, when the Pechanga Band opened its first casino, the tribe spent $18m in gaming regulation costs. This included putting $2.4m towards the Pechanga Gaming Commission and its related activities, which include enforcing regulations and internal controls.
The rest of the budget saw $9.5m on Surveillance Department costs, $5.3m on Public Safety which included staff and $185,000 on the Internal Audit Department.
The current Pechanga Gaming Commission consists of Ron Flores, Chairman, and Raymond Magee, Ursula Cornejo, Brittany Hernandez and Miguel Perches as Commissioners.
The Pechanga Resort Casino was first opened on June 24, 2002, with construction costs totalling $262m. The resort covers an area of 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) and was designed to reflect the culture of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.
The first iteration of the Pechanga Resort Casino was a 85,000 sq ft (7,900 m2) casino, a 1,200-seat theater, a 200-seat cabaret lounge, a 14-story hotel with 522 rooms, a convention center and seven restaurants. Although the casino launched with an age limit of 18, this was raised a year later to 21.
In total, the Pechanga Resort Casino has over 4,500 slot machines, 154 table games, a poker room, a 700-seat bingo facility, private gaming rooms, an off-track betting area and a high-limit gaming salon.
The Pechanga Band of Indians also opened an 18-hole golf course, called Journey at Pechanga, in 2008. This was in addition to the Pechanga RV Resort, which has 210 sites.
The first renovation was opened in November 2004. The major expansion increased gaming floor space, with the addition of a dedicated high-limit gaming area and a poker room with 54 tables. There was also both a food court area and a sports-themed restaurant called Kelsey’s.
The second renovation was started in 2015 and would not be completed for 27 months until it was opened in 2018. This expansion cost $300m, almost more than the initial construction costs for the casino when accounting for inflation. However, the renovation would double the number of hotel rooms to nearly 1,100. In addition, the casino added spa facilities, another events center and a tropical pool complex that extends over five acres that includes restaurants, pools and bars.
The Pechanga RV Resort is located in Temecula Valley. The RV Resort acts as a hospitality service with 168 sites.
Pechanga Gas Station Plaza is located close to the RV Resort and is built to accommodate larger vehicles and a range of fuel types.
Announced on October 10, 2022, the Pechanga Resort Casino would become the exclusive tribal casino of the LA Clippers NBA team. The multi-year deal would include community events, Clippers watch parties and in-game promotions, as well as in-arena signage, digital and social media activations, broadcast integrations and hospitality elements. The LA Clippers also confirmed that Pechanga will be able to showcase its tribal culture at games held during Native American Heritage Month.
