Santa Ynez Casino Expansion
Nov 17, 2020 The Chumash Casino Resort Hotel in Santa Ynez. Contributed Photo. The cultural event has included arts and crafts and a traditional hand-game tournament at the Tribal Hall on the Santa Ynez. SANTA YNEZ, CA — December 16, 2020 — The Chumash Casino Resort’s annual concert to highlight the area’s Toys For Tots campaign couldn’t be held this year due to the pandemic, but the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is still playing a role in supplying toys to less-fortunate children this holiday season. An opposition group in California is suing the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and its leaders in hopes of stopping the tribe's $160 million casino expansion. The tribe will be adding a 12-story hotel tower with 215 rooms to the Chumash Casino Resort. There will also be 75,000 additional square-feet of gaming space, a 20,000 square-foot pool.
Betting with booze: Santa Ynez's Chumash Casino will start selling alcohol on the gaming floor
By DAVID MINSKY
No matter what they do, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians can’t seem to escape the ire of their critics.
There’s the issue with Camp 4—the 1,400-acre piece of land that the tribe is trying to get placed in a federal trust, but faces opposition from county leaders who have qualms about land-use issues and the possible loss of tax revenue.
And then there’s the casino and hotel that the tribe built on its existing reservation in 2003 and 2004, respectively, that the tribe is now expanding with a 12-story hotel, restaurant, and parking garage project.
Several local groups have sprung up in opposition, namely Save the Valley LLC, which sued the Chumash to stop the expansion. The lawsuit was dismissed on July 2.
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Now, the tribe is catching heat because it recently obtained a permit to sell alcohol on the gaming floor. The tribe announced on Oct. 29 that it received an interim, 120-day, operation permit by the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, which enables the tribe to sell, serve, and allow consumption of alcoholic beverages on portions of the gaming floor—specifically where games like blackjack and other card games not played against the house are played. (The Chumash Casino does not offer craps or roulette on the betting floor.)
Because of this, the casino is now a 21-and-over facility. But that’s not the problem. For people like Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown, it’s a matter of public safety.
Before the casino got the interim permit to sell alcohol on the gaming floor, alcohol was already allowed at the resort. The current license limits alcohol to hotel rooms, restaurants, and for banquet-style dinners.
According to Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, the sheriff was very disappointed that the ABC issued the temporary license. The main concern is drunk drivers.
“The expansion to include the gaming floor greatly increases the risk to public safety due to intoxicated drivers,” Hoover said in a statement to the Sun. “Our concern is for public safety and the risk of impaired drivers leaving the casino and driving on Highway 246 and the [Highway]154.”
The permit, which can be renewed indefinitely, does carry some stipulations. For instance, no alcohol will be served between the hours of 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the casino (which is open 24 hours) and no happy hours will be allowed.
Opposition to expanded alcohol licenses at the Chumash Casino is nothing new. The tribe faced scrutiny in 2013 when it received a license to serve alcohol in the Creekdside Buffet, the hotel spa, and the Samala Showroom.
The judge who granted the expanded license two years ago ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support claims that the expansion would cause more problems for law enforcement.
Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta acknowledged that the sheriff has legitimate concerns and has spoken with him in the past regarding alcohol policies at the casino. Armenta has promised strict policies, such as stringent ID checking and training for all staff members, not just the servers.
However, he said he doesn’t understand what Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr has against the new alcohol license.
With more than 100 wineries and several bars in her district, Armenta wondered why the Chumash tribe is singled out.
“For over 10 years we’ve been operating under a liquor license and not had one infraction,” Armenta told the Sun. “[Farr] has a solid history of opposing 100 percent of everything we do.”
Although Farr denies that the casino is the sole object of her concern regarding alcohol in the Santa Ynez Valley, she points to how wineries can skirt the population density criteria that determines many liquor licenses a region gets.
“The proliferation of wine tasting rooms has gotten around that because it falls into a different category,” Farr told the Sun, adding that a wine bar is very similar to a wine tasting room. “Wine tasting rooms have not been subject to any of that.”
Armenta said that if people are worried about more drunk people on the road, the addition of 220 hotel rooms included in the expansion ought to provide a place for casino goers who may have had a bit too much to drink.
There’s also a shuttle service in the Santa Ynez Valley that taxis casino patrons to nearby hotels.
According to Armenta, the expansion plans are on schedule and the new hotel and restaurant are slated to open to the public in May 2016.
“There are many casinos in California that have liquor throughout their entire facility and operate very well without incident,” Armenta said. “I’m wondering why individuals think that we can’t do that as well.”
Sheriff Brown, along with Farr, plans to speak out against the license expansion at an appeal hearing, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Staff Writer David Minsky can be reached at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
Chumash Casino Resort Hotel Corque Root 246 Kitá Wines Hadsten House Inn
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians continues to build economic security for its tribal members and future generations by maintaining and expanding a portfolio of sophisticated enterprises.
From gaming to hospitality to winemaking, the diverse businesses all share acclaim as standards in their industries and follow the long-standing philosophies of the area’s first people when it comes to environmental sustainability, generosity, and hospitality.
Chumash Santa Ynez Casino
Located on the Central Coast of California in the Santa Ynez Valley, the Chumash Casino Resort has become one of the hottest destinations between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The property opened in 2004 as a 190,000-square-foot casino and hotel. A $165 million expansion was completed in 2016, adding 60,000 square feet to the gaming floor and a 12-story hotel tower, bringing its total accommodations to 320 rooms and 55 suites.
The Chumash Casino Resort is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It boasts a 94,000-square-foot gaming floor with more than 2,400 slots and 50 table games, as well as dedicated facilities for poker, bingo, and higher-limit gaming.
Honored with the AAA Four Diamond Award for 16 consecutive years, the Chumash Casino Resort Hotel features a 15,000-square-foot rooftop pool and a full-service spa. Willows restaurant, another perennial AAA Four Diamond Award winner, is the crown jewel of the resort’s dining options, which include The Café, The Buffet, Grains & Grounds and a food court.
This luxury boutique hotel located in the major tourist destination of Solvang features 122 rooms with distinctive decor and first-class hospitality. The tribe purchased the property in 2007 and re-opened it in 2009 after a multimillion-dollar renovation made it the standard among Solvang’s expansive collection of hotels.
Hotel Corque has been awarded both the AAA Four Diamond and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence more than five years in a row, as it continues to offer the ultimate in relaxation and comfort in the heart of wine country.
The restaurant’s name is a nod to the nearby Route 246 — a state highway traveling through the Santa Ynez Valley — and the growing movement toward farm-fresh food that is healthy for both consumers and the environment.
Nestled adjacent to the tribe’s Hotel Corque in Solvang, the property was known for years as the Meadows Restaurant. After purchasing the Meadows in 2007, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians transformed the old restaurant into a contemporary and elegant destination for Solvang tourists.
Root 246 features two dining rooms, an outdoor dining area, and a chic lounge while offering craft-based cuisine, an extensive selection of local wines and beers, and a revolving menu of signature cocktails.
Founded by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in 2010, Kitá Wines is a small, premium winery located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. With a total production of around 2,000 cases annually, the wines are crafted using sustainable methods and a blend of old-world and new-world winemaking techniques.
Santa Ynez Casino Expansion Entertainment
When the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians purchased the 1,400-acre Santa Ynez ranch land known as Camp 4 in 2003, it included the vineyards that would become home to Kitá Wines and 19 varietals focusing on Rhone and Bordeaux grapes.
The word 'Kitá' means 'Our Valley Oak' in the Santa Ynez Chumash native language of Samala. The vineyard’s name, Camp 4, refers to the land being the fourth stop on a passage from San Francisco to Yuma, Arizona, during the stagecoach days.
Hadsten House was purchased by the Santa Ynez Band of Indians in 2012 after an extensive remodel had transformed it into a charming, French-country-style inn. Boasting a refined, romantic European style, the 71-room hotel is located in Solvang and offers a distinctive choice for accommodations when visiting the Santa Ynez Valley.