Tribal casino expansion to make it one of largest in state
Story-Date: 05:27 p.m. PST Tuesday  , November 17, 1998

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Tribal casino expansion to make it one of largest in state

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SYCUAN INDIAN RESERVATION, Calif. (AP) -- A San Diego County Indian tribe
has plans to expand its Las Vegas-style casino into one of the largest in
the state.

Sycuan Indian band officials say the $22 million project has nothing to do
with the Election Day victory of the Indian Gambling Initiative. The
project reportedly has been in the works for more than a year.

The expansion, expected to be completed in a year, will replace the band's
existing 95,000-square-foot facility with a 165,000-square-foot casino. The
new, two-story casino will have a desert oasis theme and incorporate 1,000
to 1,200 video slot machines, a 1,400-seat bingo hall, three restaurants
and a 500-seat theater for Broadway-style plays.

"This is not so much an expansion but a replacement of our aging facility,"
tribal Chairwoman Georgia Tucker said in a prepared statement. "Our goal is
to continue to provide to our customers Las Vegas-style gaming in the most
comfortable and friendly environment."

The plan to replace the 15-year-old facility is not tied to the passage of
Proposition 5, tribal officials said. The ballot measure, expected to be
challenged in court, allows California tribes to operate unlimited numbers
of video slots, which are by far the biggest moneymakers for casinos.

Sycuan, which now has about 450 machines, is already entitled to 995 under
a tribal-state compact it signed in July with Gov. Pete Wilson. The Sycuan
tribe, along with numerous others, has asked the governor for a superseding
compact under the more liberal terms of Proposition 5.

Tribal-state compacts for casino gambling are required under federal law.
The Proposition 5 model imposes no caps on numbers of machines and gives
most of the regulatory authority to tribal governments rather than the
state.

When the new Sycuan facility is completed, it will be either the largest or
second-largest in the state. The nearby Viejas Casino & Turf Club is
undertaking a $12 million, 70,000-square-foot casino expansion, scheduled
for completion about the same time, that will make it about the same size
as Sycuan's.



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