Jamul Casino
The Jamul Casino is a Native American gambling business that is 20 miles from downtown San Diego in Jamul, California. The Jamul Indian Village runs this casino on their 6-acre reservation in Jamul, and it is managed by Penn National Gaming, Inc. It was earlier known as Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego. This casino is the closest to San Diego. Jamul Casino gaming, entertainment, dining and accomodations. 7 promotions and offers, 9 dining options, Sweetwater Rewards details and benefits.
The Jamul Indian Village (JIV) entered into a partnership with Penn National Gaming to build a Hollywood-branded casino on 6 acres of tribal land in San Diego County. The casino site is located on state Route 94 about 20 miles east of downtown San Diego. Construction on the $430 million, three-story casino began in January 2015. The Jamul Indian Village (JIV) entered into a partnership with Penn National Gaming to build a Hollywood-branded casino on 6 acres of tribal land in San Diego County. The casino site is located on state Route 94 about 20 miles east of downtown San Diego. Construction on the $430 million, three-story casino began in January 2015. Jamul Casino Cancels Live NYE Entertainment, Events San Diego County has investigated at least 92 COVID-19 outbreaks traced back to Jamul Casino. NBC 7s Alexis Rivas explains why they decide not to.
| Jamul Casino | |
|---|---|
| Address | 14145 Campo Road Jamul, California 91935 |
| Opening date | October 2016 |
| Notable restaurants | Prime Cut, Loft 94, Tony Gwynn's Sports Pub |
| Owner | Jamul Indian Village |
| Website | http://www.jamulcasinosd.com |
The Jamul Casino is a Native American gambling enterprise run by the Jamul Indian Village on their 6-acre reservation in Jamul, California.
It was formerly the Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego. The president and general manager is Mary Cheeks.[1][2]
The casino has 1,700 slot machines and 40 table games.[3] It is located 20 miles east of downtown San Diego.
History[edit]
In 1999, the Tipai Band of Kumeyaay Indians, with 64 members living on 6 acres (24,000 m2) of sovereign land in the Jamul area designated the 'Jamul Indian Village,' announced their intent to develop a new hotel and casino. The original plan, which required the US government to annex 81 acres (330,000 m2) of surrounding land to complete the project, met with strong opposition from local residents. After the annexation effort was denied, the casino plan was revised to fit the 6-acre (24,000 m2) reservation grounds. Despite continuing opposition from townspeople, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place on December 10, 2005.
The $200 million project was financed by Lakes Entertainment of Minnesota. The casino's original concept was to be developed according to the State of California's gambling compact. Proponents emphasize increased revenue for the state and the tribe, as well as 2,000 new jobs for all members of the community, while opponents fear strain on its police and fire services, a major impact on the local water supply, and argue that a 15-story building would permanently change the town's character. The chief concern is the increased traffic on the main road through the town, Highway 94. The proposed casino location is such that all the traffic to and from would likely pass through the middle of the town.
On February 7, 2003, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs held a meeting to discuss the environmental impact report produced by the Jamul Indian Tribe in support of the casino project. Hundreds of Jamul residents showed up to express almost unanimous opposition to the casino.
On September 13, 2006, casino organizers held a meeting[4] with the townspeople on site to address their concerns. The casino plan was further clarified, with an artist's conception of the proposed six-story casino and 12-story hotel complex on display. A court reporter was on hand to receive comments for or against the proposal, and of the 40 who did so, three were in favor. Most of the negative comments were in regard to increased traffic on California State Route 94, which narrows to a two-lane road at the proposed site of casino.
On March 10, 2007, the tribe evicted three residents (not tribal members) who had been living on the Indian Village land but who opposed the casino: Karen Toggery and her son and Walter Rosales. Locals gathered to protest the evictions. The Tribe hired a local security company and 'deputized' them as 'Jamul Tribal Police.' These guards then utilized pepper spray and metal batons on some of the protestors who trespassed onto Tribal property and refused to leave. Tribal chairman Leon Acebedo signed an agreement witnessed by local Board of Supervisors member Dianne Jacob that stipulated that the homes of the evicted would not be destroyed for at least seven days. Their homes were demolished two days later, leading to considerable controversy in the community. An unrelated statement was released that same day stating that the tribal leaders no longer wished to negotiate with the state regarding the casino and were planning a casino with Class II games only,[5] which do not include slot machines, as casinos with only Class II games are not governed by compacts with the State of California.
On October 1, 2008, the tribe sued Caltrans[6] after months of unsuccessful negotiations. The tribe claimed their sovereignty gives them the right to use the land that they see fit. Caltrans maintained that they represent the public’s safety and that they would not approve the permits to put a stoplight in the middle of State Route 94 unless more environmental impact studies (EIR) were performed. The tribe continued to maintain that Caltrans’ preferred, safe alternative of building a driveway off a side road, Melody Lane, was “improper meddling by the state”. In the article cited above, a member of the tribe's Executive Council, Carlene Chamberlain, stated “The Minnesota company backing the casino, Lakes Entertainment, can't get funding for design and construction until it's clear that gamblers will be able to get to the slot machines.”
During Lakes Entertainment's review of their 2008 results on March 12, 2009,[7] they indicated that the Jamul Indian Tribe and Caltrans' had reached an understanding and that the Jamul Indian Tribe had agreed to create an EIR for the revised project. Lakes indicated also that the project would be re-evaluated in light of the financial environment and would be monitored closely. Although Lakes did say they would not abandon the project completely, they reduced the 'fair market value' of the project by 80%. In addition, Lakes revised their estimate of when the project could be completed to 2014.
On March 13, 2012 Lakes Entertainment cancelled their development contract with the Jamul Indian Tribe. Immediately following that, the tribe announced plans to work with the community to design a smaller facility that addressed many of the Jamul resident's concerns.[8] Finding a new partner for this development was made more difficult because of the $57 million the tribe owed Lakes from the previous development as well as the fact that the tribe only had authorization to run a Class II gaming facility from the government, having turned down the terms and conditions of a Class III gaming facility from the state.
Penn National Gaming became the developer, lender and manager of the $400 million Hollywood Casino in collaboration with the Jamul Indian Village. Hollywood Casino Jamul – San Diego opened on October 10, 2016. The casino includes a three-story gaming and entertainment facility of approximately 200,000 square feet, featuring over 1,700 slot machines, 40 live table games, multiple restaurants, bars and lounges and an enclosed below grade parking structure with approximately 1,800 spaces.[9]
In May 2018, the Penn National Gaming Corp., which owns the Hollywood casinos chain of 27 gambling properties, deflagged the casino and handed over management of it to the Jamul Indian Village Development Corp.[10]
References[edit]
- ^Parente, Michele. 'Hollywood rebrands as Jamul Casino'. Sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^Concepcion, Mariel. 'Hollywood Casino Renamed Jamul Casino'. www.sdbj.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^Parente, Michele. 'Here's the deal at the San Diego-area's 10 casinos'. Sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^Barfield, Chet. 'Casino plan gets neighborly criticism'. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-09-29.
- ^Acebedo, Lee (22 March 2007). 'Broken promises aside, tribe will proceed'. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
- ^Soto, Onell R. 'Jamul tribe sues, claims Caltrans is meddling'. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17.
- ^'Lakes Entertainment Announces Q4 Results and Full 2008'. hotelexecutive.com.
- ^Rice, Dave (14 March 2012). 'Jamul Indians Cut Developer Ties, Revive Casino Plans'. www.sandiegoreader.com.
- ^'About Hollywood Casino Jamul'. Hollywood Casino Jamul. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^Graham, Marty (20 June 2018). 'Jamul tribe denies casino imploding'. www.sandiegoreader.com.
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 32°42′10″N116°52′15″W / 32.702778°N 116.870833°W
LATEST UPDATES: Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines Racial Justice
Thursday, August 20, 2020
By City News Service
Credit: Jamul Casino
Above: Jamul Casino in this undated photo.
The Jamul Indian Village of California announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against an insurance company that the tribe alleges wrongfully denied the Jamul Casino coverage for losses incurred when it temporarily closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawsuit against Lexington Insurance Company alleges the company required the casino to incur physical damage or destruction of property to receive coverage under the 'Interruption by Civil Authority' provision of its insurance policy, despite the word 'physical' being absent from the provision.
The tribe also alleges the insurance company has cited a 'pollution exclusion' to deny coverage, though the tribe says that exclusion does not preclude coverage of losses stemming from contagious diseases.
The tribe says it had three 'all risk' policies with Lexington at the time the casino closed.
Lexington Insurance Company did not immediately respond for comment.
The suit was filed earlier this month in the Intertribal Court of Southern California, which oversees legal disputes brought by a collection of local tribes.
'Jamul believes that Lexington didn't interpret our policy correctly and has wrongly denied coverage,' said Erica M. Pinto, chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation Board of Directors. 'We have an 'all risk' policy, which was intended to cover any and all risks. We believe that includes losses related to the pandemic.'
The casino shut down March 20 and remained closed for about two months. The tribe is seeking payment for COVID-19-related losses, including business interruption damages, cleaning and disinfection expenses, and attorney's fees and costs.
Pinto said, 'There are no virus or other remotely related exclusions in our policy. In fact, Lexington added language when our policy renewed this July for 'communicable diseases,' so, clearly, they know they are wrong but still don't want to compensate us for our losses. It's not fair or right, so we will hold them accountable to live up to the terms of our policy. We look forward to a quick resolution and payment of our claim so we can continue to help our people recover from this difficult situation.'
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