California Casino in Desert Plans 65K Square Foot Expansion

Southern California’s Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon is renovating its establishment and expanding their gaming floor by 30 percent.

Operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the 44-acre resort is located just outside of Palm Springs and features a casino with one of the largest gaming floors in the Golden State at 150,000 square feet.

Currently, the 27-story Morongo Casino tower features over 2,600 slot machines, 74 table games, and a 440-seat bingo hall. The expansion will add 65,000 square feet to accommodate 800 additional slot machines, the Desert Sun reported.

The resort’s makeover will include a new bar, lounge spaces, and a new non-smoking area. The casino will receive a fresh paint job on the first floor, and new carpet and lighting. Morongo is also replacing some of the current dining options in the casino and several new ones have already opened, including a 24-hour sports bar and restaurant.

Part of the renovation plans includes an additional 754-space parking structure that will feature free valet and over 70 parking spaces for electric vehicles. Morongo’s goal is to have a wait time of four minutes or less for all patrons to have their vehicles returned to them.

Casino Project to Add Over 400 New Jobs

Roughly 1.5 million people visit The Morongo Resort each year. The casino already provides 2,500 jobs and the expansion will create 425 additional full-time positions. The renovation and expansion are expected to add to the $3 billion in local economic action that the casino currently produces.

Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin, speaking with the Desert Sun:

“The tribe is the real economic driver in the pass area. That’s exciting to me. I really like that, that we’re able to provide those types of jobs.”

The commissioner said that before the Morongo Casino opened, locals were commuting to surrounding areas for work. Martin said that it’s satisfying to be able to supply good paying jobs for residents of the region.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians broke ground on the renovation last January. Cabazon representative and Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley emailed a statement around the time of the ground-breaking event and spoke on the economic impact, reported by The Press-Enterprise.

“An increase in the tribe’s economic activities not only creates increased employment opportunities, but it also generates local expenditures by Morongo’s guests and citizens that benefit surrounding communities.”

Old Casino Morongo Reopened & Refurbished

The Casino Morongo has been used in recent years mainly for special events and bowling. The smaller casino was recently refurbished and reopened during this renovation and expansion period.

Morongo Spokesman Mike Fisher said that the smaller casino is extremely popular with patrons and they will evaluate keeping it open after the expansion project is finished. The casino expansion project is expected to be completed by mid-2020.

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