Casino officials for Elk Grove’s Sky River Casino have announced that the casino is set to open in early September, two months ahead of schedule. The new venue will encompass 35 acres east of Highway 99 in Sacramento, California.
Although they did not specify a completion date in the Monday announcement, they did confirm that work on the 100,000-square-foot casino is nearly complete. The hiring process to staff the new casino is ongoing.
The Wilton Rancheria tribe and Boyd Gaming, a casino developer and operator, kicked off the $500m project on March 21. Elk Grove and Wilton Rancheria leaders predicted that the new casino, the closest to the capital city Sacramento, will be a top regional destination.
In a highly-competitive tribal gaming market, they hope this will provide an economic engine for the growing Elk Grove community. Wilton Rancheria believes the Sky River Casino will prove to be a big stride forward in the tribe’s struggle for self-sufficiency.
The tribe’s federal designation was stripped nearly 60 years ago. Whilst the designation was restored in 2009, it took years of laborious legal battles to win a gaming compact and buy land that paved the way for the casino’s opening.
Wilton Rancheria Tribal Chairman Jesus Tarango spoke about the struggles of the Wilton Rancheria tribe in Monday’s announcement: "Our people have fought for decades to achieve self-sufficiency. We fought for tribal recognition, for our land and for this historic project.
“We are privileged to partner with Boyd Gaming and look forward to the opening of Sky River, which will bring jobs and long-term benefits to our tribe, our community and the region.”
