Page 34 - 2024/2025 Travel Guide to CALIFORNIA

CASINOS
THE ACTION GETS HOT when your number comes up at Chukchansi Gold, above.
Harrah’s Northern California, in Ione, opened in 2019. It offers a Las Vegas vibe in the heart of the Sierra foothills’ Wine Country. It is surrounded by wineries, golf courses, historic monuments and gorgeous scenery.
Most of the other gambling options in Northern California are card rooms, and many are located in the suburbs of San Francisco and Sacramento. Popular ones are San Jose’s Bay 101 Casino, Colma’s Lucky Chances and San Jose’s Casino M8trix.
SoCal and LA
Southern California—from the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley to the Mexico border, the Pacific Ocean to I-15—is home to some of the biggest Native Amer- 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, offers staycation opportunities, and a live events center, bowling and an outdoor skating rink.
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 Parkwest Bicycle Hotel & Casino (Bell Gar- dens). Both venues have expansive poker rooms and host some of the most popular tournaments in the area.
The Desert
Soboba Casino Resort, just outside of San Jacinto, offers spectacular views of the San Jacinto Mountains. Agua Caliente’s collec- tion of three Casinos are located in Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs and Cathedral City. 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 war- ned. And good luck.
32 2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
CHUKCHANSI GOLD RESORT & CASINO