Native American casino project in Madera inches closer to reality. When will it open?

There will be 2,000 slot and video gaming machines.

Blackjack, three-card poker and the Chinese game pai gow will be played across 40 gaming tables.

By the time it’s fully operational, there will be 1,000 more jobs at the 100,000 square-foot North Fork Mono Casino and Resort planned to go up just east of Highway 99 and north of the Madera Municipal Airport.

The casino is a project more than 20 years in the making for the the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians. It’s much closer to reality now that the National Indian Gaming Commission, a federal regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Interior, has approved its management agreement with Las Vegas-based Station Casinos, the tribe announced in a news release Thursday.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last 20 years, it’s that making hard claims about the timing has been fraught with challenges,” Charlie Altekruse, a spokesperson for the tribe, said in a phone interview with the Fresno Bee. “So, we haven’t set a specific time for groundbreaking, but we definitely expect it to happen this year.”

North Fork Rancheria, one of the largest federally-recognized Native American tribes in California, initiated its plans for a casino in 2003. Since then, a litany of lawsuits by groups have worked against a swath of state and federal approvals for the casino.

It seemed the casino was set to break ground in the summer of 2021, and then a state appeals court ruled that former Gov. Jerry Brown did not have the authority to OK the federally-approved plan to move the Madera location into trust for a casino that’s not within a reservation. This is because California voters in 2014 heavily opposed a proposition that would allowed that.

A new $350M casino is breaking ground off Highway 99. What will it mean for jobs, economy?

The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, which operates Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in eastern Madera County, joined Stand Up for California!, a group known to oppose Native American gambling, in a 2016 lawsuit against the Department of Interior over North Fork Rancheria’s plans. Altekruse said opposition is normal for large developments, but added that the tribe believes many of the court challenges against its plans were frivolous.

Tribal Treasurer Maryann McGoveran said in the release that no tribal gaming project has ever been scrutinized as much as North Fork’s. Nonetheless, the casino management agreement’s approval is a “key administrative milestone” that is a long time coming, the announcement said.

“Our Tribe has always prided itself on abiding by the spirit and letter of the law and being respectful partners with all levels of government,” Tribal Chairperson Fred Beihn said in the release. “This decision validates our approach and has proven successful for our Tribe.”

La Abeja, a newsletter written for and by California Latinos

Sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter centered around Latino issues in California.

Under the agreement, Station Casinos will help the tribe develop and operate the casino. The release says that, besides adding jobs to the local economy, the casino expects to generate “tens of millions of dollars in goods and services purchased.” The tribe’s announcement added that the casino will invest in local schools, charities and public safety, among other things.

“Indian gaming was supposed to provide an economic engine, not only for tribal citizens but also for local surrounding communities,” Altekruse told the Bee. “That’s what it’s done throughout the state. We’re excited to finally, after nearly two decades, have a rightful place at the table as well.”

Native American gross gaming revenue was almost $50 billion in fiscal year 2022, the highest amount ever and an increase of nearly 5% from the previous year.

Bobby Kahn, former executive director of the Madera County Economic Development Commission, told the Bee in 2021 that the casino would be “a huge job creator” and voiced confidence in its potential for long-term success. At that time, Red Rock Resorts, which owns Station Casinos, estimated the casino would cost between $350 million and $400 million to complete.