Page 45 - 2022-2023 Travel Guide to California

STEVE CUKROV/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: RUSLAN HUZAU/SHUTTERSTOCK; DAVID JAMES GRIMSLEY/SHUTTERSTOCK
ican casinos in the state including: Harrah’s
Resort Southern California in Valley Center;
Pala Casino Spa Resort in Pala; Barona
Resort & Casino in Lakeside; and Pechanga
Resort Casino in Temecula. All of these
properties boast Vegas-style hotels with
eateries, shopping and spas. Viejas Casino
& Resort, just outside San Diego, with the
Willows Hotel and Spa, live events center,
bowling and outdoor roller rink, offers stay-
cation opportunities.
Closer to Los Angeles, the name of the
game is card rooms. Two facilities are
worth visiting for their grandeur alone: the
Commerce Casino (Commerce) and the
Bicycle Hotel & Casino (Bell Gardens). Both
venues have expansive poker rooms and
host some of the most popular tourna-
ments in the area.
The Desert
Package deals abound for stay-and-play
vacations at casino resorts in and around
the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs. At
Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon,
for instance, $129 per night gets guests a
room plus a $20 slot play credit and a free
gift. Most area casinos have their own golf
courses, but locals rave about Eagle Falls,
the course at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
in Indio. The 18-hole course was designed
by architect Clive Clark.
Lake Tahoe
Okay, okay, so the casinos that sidle up to
Lake Tahoe are on the Nevada side of the
state line. Still, they’re close enough to most
other destinations in California that they
deserve a mention here.
Excluding those in Reno, the most
accessible venues are located in South
Lake Tahoe. Here, Bally's Lake Tahoe is
swank with modern lounges and a four-
diamond steak and chophouse that makes
Ruth’s Chris seem like McDonald’s.
Located down the street is the Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, with more
than 500 hotel rooms and a 25,000-
square-foot casino.
Of course the best thing about casinos at
Lake Tahoe is that, because they’re in
Nevada, they play by Nevada rules (see
sidebar). Since sports books and dice games
are illegal in the state of California, this
means Tahoe is the spot to place those
kinds of bets.
Big spenders, consider yourselves
warned. And good luck.
2022-23 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 43