Thunder Valley Casino Resort

Thunder Valley Casino Resort is a hotel and casino located in unincorporated Placer County in Whitney, California near the city of Lincoln, California, 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Sacramento. It is owned and operated by the United Auburn Indian Community and designed by architect Edward Vance of JMA Architecture Studios, located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The resort opened on June 9, 2003. It was operated by Station Casinos from 2003 to 2010.[1]

Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Thunder Valley Casino Resort in 2013
Location near Lincoln, California, U.S.
Address 1200 Athens Avenue
Opening dateJune 9, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-06-09)
No. of rooms300
Total gaming space144,500 sq ft (13,420 m2)
Notable restaurantsCafe
Food Court: Fatburger, Panda Express, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Pizza Hut and Subway
High Steaks
Red Lantern
The Buffet
Casino typeNative American
OwnerUnited Auburn Indian Community
ArchitectJMA Architecture Studios
Renovated inExpansion: July 2010
Coordinates38°50′27″N 121°18′44″W / 38.84083°N 121.31222°W / 38.84083; -121.31222
Websitethundervalleyresort.com

The 275,000-square-foot (25,550 m2) facility offers a variety of gaming including slot machines, live poker and various other table games.

History

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Thunder Valley Casino Resort is owned by the United Auburn Indian Community, a Native American tribe consisting of mostly Miwuk and Maidu Indians indigenous to the Sacramento Valley region. In the 1950s and '60s, the United States government terminated 41 California rancherias—mini-reservations, including that of the Miwok and Maidu Auburn band. As a way to lift themselves out of poverty, the members of the tribe decided to build a casino after Congress restored the tribe's federal status in 1994, allowing the tribe to acquire land under tribal sovereignty.[2]

The United Auburn Indian Community entered into a tribal-state gaming compact with the State of California in September 1999 in order to conduct Class III gaming on trust land. This compact was later successfully renegotiated with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004.

Thunder Valley was designed by JMA Architecture Studios and built by the PENTA Building Group.[3] The casino was opened in June 2003 and then expanded starting in March 2009 and finishing July 2010.

The UAIC is known for their efforts to abide by state and local land-use laws, even though they are not obligated to do so under sovereignty law. For example, the UAIC chose to include the California Environmental Quality Act in its local agreement, something only a handful of tribes submit to.[2]

Gambling

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The casino has over 3,000 slot and video machines, 125 table games (including blackjack and paigow) and a live poker room with enough space for 160 players. The casino regularly holds promotions and special events including drawings, cash prizes, and tournaments.

Attractions

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The expansion completed in July 2010 includes a 17-story luxury hotel with 408 rooms, with 46 suites. Inside the hotel is a large banquet and entertainment hall (Pano Hall) with the capacity of 1,000 guests, meeting rooms, bars and a gift shop. The pool has surrounding private cabanas and a poolside bar, Coconut. There are a total of 14 restaurants and bars.

The spa offers facials, massages, pedicures, manicures, Lomi Lomi, hot stone massages, and the signature 24-karat gold leaf facial. There is also a sauna, whirlpool, steam room, and health club. Steelman Partners was the architect and interior designers. shop12 was the lighting designers for the major expansion in 2010.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort hosts a number of concerts and shows in the summertime in their outdoor amphitheater.

Entertainment

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The Venue

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The Venue at Thunder Valley is a new $100 million entertainment venue which opening on February 17, 2023 with a performance by the Eagles. It hosts 4,500 seats inside a 150,000 square foot state-of-the art theater.[4][5]

Events[6]

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A list of events at The Venue[6]
Date Event Tour Attendance Revenue Notes
February 17 Eagles Hotel California 2023 Tour Opening night of The Venue
February 18 Bruno Mars
February 19 Santana Blessings and Miracles Tour
February 24-25 Gabriel Iglesias
March 3 Sammy Hagar And Friends Live
March 4 Charlie Wilson After 7 will serve as opening act
March 11 Xuan Hoi NGO Vietnamese Show First foreign event
March 17 Dirty Heads Common Kings will serve as opening act
March 18 The Beach Boys
March 24 Jeff Dunham Still Not Canceled
March 25 Anjelah Johnson-Reyes
March 31 Kevin James The Irregardless Tour
April 1 Kansas Blue Öyster Cult will serve as opening act
April 7 Boyz II Men Troop and Soul For Real will serve as opening acts
April 8 Michael Carbonaro Lies On Stage
April 14 Third Eye Blind An Evening with Third Eye Blind
April 15 One Vision of Queen
April 22 Vivian Chow A Long and Lasting Love
April 28 Bryan Adams So Happy It Hurts Tour
April 29 Train
May 5 Mi Banda El Mexicano, Banda Marcos, Banda Maguey Quebradita Time!
May 6 The Black Crowes
May 12 Sarah Silverman
May 13 John Fogerty
May 19 Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
May 20 Journey
May 25-26 Eraserheads Huling El Bimbo Tour
May 27 REO Speedwagon John Waite will serve as opening act
June 2 Kid Rock Bad Reputation Tour
June 3 V101 Summer Jam, Nelly, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Chingy, Twista, Luniz
June 8 Kevin Hart Reality Check Tour
June 9 Ringo Starr and His All Star Band
June 10 Tesla Full Throttle Live 2023 Buckcherry will serve as opening act
June 17 Australia's Thunder from Down Under
June 23 Johnny Mathis The Voice of Romance Tour
August 11 The Australian Pink Floyd Show
October 27 Janet Jackson Together Again Tour
November 4 Gwen Stefani[7]
February 3, 2024 Duran Duran
February 17, 2024 Red Hot Chili Peppers Global Stadium Tour
May 31, 2024 Sublime with Rome Farewell Tour

Philanthropy

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Using the revenue generated from Thunder Valley, the UAIC gives about $1 million annually to nonprofit groups in Placer County. Some beneficiaries of ongoing and previous donations include the Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center, Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Foundation, and Foothill Volunteer Center.

In January 2005, the UAIC donated $250,000 to assist Habitat for Humanity International's (HFHI) relief efforts in southern Asia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[8]

In January 2010, the UAIC donated $50,000 to Partners in Health for their efforts in the 2010 Haiti earthquake aftermath.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Stutz, Howard (July 7, 2014). "California Indian casino built and managed by Station Casinos rising to the top of class". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Building of Thunder Valley Casino". United Auburn Indian Community Official Site (Press release). Archived from the original on 2011-09-30.
  3. ^ Ross, David. "California Complex: Thunder Valley Casino Hotel Expansion". CASINO Design. Casino Design Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-11-18.
  4. ^ "Concert Sites - Thunder Valley Casino Resort". thundervalleyresort.com. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  5. ^ Staff (2022-10-02). "Thunder Valley Casino Concert Series at The Venue". Roseville Today. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  6. ^ a b "Events - Thunder Valley Casino Resort". thundervalleyresort.com. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  7. ^ "Gwen Stefani concert scheduled for November 2023 at Thunder Valley Casino - CBS Sacramento". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-07-11. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  8. ^ "Tribes Recognize Save the Children and Habitat for Humanity, International's Relief Efforts in Southern Asia". Auburn Rancheria. Archived from the original on 2008-08-19.
  9. ^ "United Auburn Indian Community donates $50K for Haiti". Roseville & Rocklin Today.
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