Cache Creek Casino: A Brief History

Even the most visionary members of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians in Northern California probably could not have foreseen the success they would later achieve when they were approached in the mid-1980s with the idea of hosting a bingo game.

The small tribe liked the idea, and on June 25, 1985, they and their new partners opened a fledgling bingo hall on their Rancheria in Brooks, California, a tiny enclave in the beautiful Capay Valley, 50 miles northwest of Sacramento. Their fledgling bingo business was an immediate hit.

By 1990, they were operating the bingo hall on their own, but more room was needed to accommodate a growing legion of visitors - a situation this tribe would face repeatedly. The first expansion, which included the addition of card games, was completed on Oct. 7, 1993.

"By Oct. 11 or 12, we knew we needed to build more space," longtime Cache Creek Casino General Manager Randy Takemoto said. "People just can't seem to get enough of the type of entertainment we offer."

The second expansion began in 1996 and was opened in phases in 1998 and 1999. The bingo hall was expanded to 1,200 seats; restaurant additions included upscale Chinese dining at the China Camp restaurant, which benefits from the supervision of the legendary Fat family from Sacramento, the 150-seat Creekside Buffet, and Blue Oak, providing made-to-order sandwiches and salads in a bright, modern Hofbrau-style setting.

The State Gaming Compact was signed by the governor of California in 1999 and paved the way for the addition of slot machines, which took place in August of 2000. Cache Creek Casino currently has 1,762 slots on its floor, and is one of the most successful gaming operations in Northern California. The annual payroll for the 1,500 employees of Cache Creek Casino is $38.4 million.

Even with 126,000 square feet of space, Cache Creek Casino still grapples with the "good problem" of often having more customers than it can comfortably house.

On June 15, 2002, plans were announced for a $150 million expansion that will more than double the size of the property and introduce a 200-room hotel, a 1,950-space multistory parking garage, eight new restaurants, a 600-seat entertainment lounge, an 18-hole championship golf course, a spa, and a 20,000-square-foot multiuse events center that will host bingo, concerts, and more.

Nonhotel space will increase to more than 250,000 square feet, enabling Cache Creek Casino Resort to provide bingo seating for 1,000 and more than 135 table games, and to reach the current 2,000-machine slot limit in the state of California. The resort will employee 2,200 staff members.

Construction broke ground on Oct. 16, 2002, with plans to open the new facility in March 2004.

Through the benefit of its operations, the tribe holds a considerable investment and real estate portfolio outside of its core gaming business. It also created The Rumsey Community Fund, a charitable endeavor that distributes well over $1 million annually.