Morongo Casino Resort has over 4,000 electronic slot machines, including Pot O' Gold, Dragon Link, Double Wolf and Buffalo Gold.
The casino also offers 100+ table games, including mystery card roulette, pai gow poker and mini-baccarat, among others.
There’s also a high-limit gaming area in the Mystique room, which has 170 slot machines that allow for denominations up to $300. It also has four tables which can deal a variety of table games.
The first property opened by the Morongo Band was a bingo hall in 1983, which was part of the California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Supreme Court case.
The Morongo Casino Resort would eventually open on 10 December, 2004. The project cost $250m and was one of the largest tribal gaming facilities in California when it opened.
Casino Morongo, an earlier property opened by the Morongo band in 1995, was closed in 2004 due to the new resort. It was later re-opened in 2018 as part of an expansion project, with over 300 slot machines added to its gaming floor.
The high-limit gaming floor was added to Morongo Casino Resort on 4 October, 2023. The room was converted from the previous live music stage area, which was named Mystique. It has 170 slot machines and several table games. There is also a separate smoking room. The high-limit area also has tinted windows that allow guests to see outside.
Morongo Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, a federally recognized tribe made from the Cahuilla and Serrano groups.
After the tribe opened a small bingo hall in 1983, the Riverside County Government of California tried to forcibly close the establishment. The Morongo Tribe appealed to the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, with the California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians case eventually reaching the Supreme Court.
The case was decided on 25 February, 1987 by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who decided that ‘Indian reservations may engage in a form of gaming when that form is legal in the state.’
California argued that Public Law 280 was in motion, which allowed states to warrant criminal jurisdiction over Native American matters that existed within the state's borders. However, as gambling laws in California were civil regulatory laws and not criminal ones, the state could justifiably warrant taking action.
This ruling had a major effect on Native American gaming across the US, establishing a precedent for tribal sovereignty when it came to gaming establishments. A year later in 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) was passed and the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) was formed.
Passport Technology: On September 6, 2023, Passport Technology renewed its 20-year-long partnership with Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. The company manages the cash and ticket handling systems at the cash desks.
The hotel at Morongo Casino Resort has 272 standard rooms, 32 double-bay suites, and six casitas, the latter of which are located on an upper level surrounding the pool.
