Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City Opens Ahead Of Schedule

CATHEDRAL CITY, CA — The third casino operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians was open Wednesday in Cathedral City in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City, the Coachella Valley's newest casino, was originally expected to open by the end of the year, but opened Tuesday with little forewarning and no fanfare.

"Doors now open. Party on," a post Tuesday night on the casino's Twitter feed read, with another opening notice on the casino's website.

A tribal spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about specifics.

Construction began last November on the tribe's latest gaming venture, erected atop a 13-acre site on the northwest corner of East Palm Canyon and Date Palm drives. The casino joins two others owned by the tribe — one in Palm Springs and another in Rancho Mirage.

Agua Caliente Casino comprises 30,000 square feet of gaming space, including room for 530 slots and eight table games. An adjacent 12,000-square- foot outdoor pavilion is slated to host live entertainment, special events and other gatherings.

Several restaurants and bars also are planned for the property, although it was unclear how many were immediately open.

This year has been a busy year for the tribe. The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, which is being constructed on the corner of North Indian Canyon Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs, also is expected to open by the end of the year. The plaza will house the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and other tribal business entities.

Meanwhile, plans to convert a patch of tribal land in downtown Palm Springs into a 252,000-square-foot sports and entertainment arena fell apart previously. Oak View Group, which had planned on partnering with the tribe in the venture, is now planning to build the 10,000-seat arena in unincorporated Riverside County, north of Palm Desert.

Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information can be found here.

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--City News Service