Development · Valley-wide
Las Vegas-based Station Casinos opens North Fork Mono Casino in California after two decades of legal fights
The North Fork Mono Casino near Fresno, with a total cost of about $750 million, opened Tuesday under Las Vegas-based Station Casinos' management after more than two decades of legal challenges, the Review-Journal reported.
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What happened
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the North Fork Mono Casino opened for business Tuesday in Madera, California. Las Vegas-based Station Casinos developed the tribal casino and will also manage it. According to the Review-Journal, the opening came after more than two decades of legal challenges.
Madera is in California's Central Valley, less than 30 miles north of Fresno, the newspaper reported. Station Casinos will run the resort in partnership with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California.
Cost and size of the resort
The price tag
According to Station Casinos, the development cost $725 million, and the total all-in project cost is approximately $750 million. The Review-Journal attributed both figures to the company.
The gaming floor
The property covers 264,000 square feet and uses floor-to-ceiling windows to bring natural light inside. Its 100,000-square-foot gaming area holds more than 2,400 slot machines and 40 table games, the Review-Journal reported.
A separate high limit room has 138 slots and 10 table games. That room also includes a private bar and its own cashier.
Dining and bars
The resort has eight dining venues and four bars. One venue, Clubhouse 99, has 56 large-screen TVs and more than 20 local and imported beers on tap. The Manzanita Steakhouse offers farm-to-table food with live piano music and more than 250 local and international wine labels, according to the Review-Journal.
The management agreement
The National Indian Gaming Commission approved a seven-year management agreement between Station Casinos and the North Fork Rancheria in 2024, the Review-Journal reported. The newspaper described the tribe as one of the largest in California, with more than 3,000 citizens.
Under that agreement, Station serves as manager of the resort while partnering with the tribe. The Review-Journal did not report other financial terms of the deal.
Station's track record with California tribes
Two earlier partnerships
North Fork is not Station's first California tribal casino. The company previously operated Thunder Valley Casino Resort near Sacramento, owned by the United Auburn Indian Community. It also ran Graton Resort & Casino near Santa Rosa, owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
In both cases, Station turned the casinos over to the tribes when their seven-year management agreements expired, according to the Review-Journal.
The Las Vegas connection
The new resort is in California, but the company that built and will manage it is based in Las Vegas. The Review-Journal did not report any direct effect on Station's Las Vegas properties or workers. Readers following the local casino business can find more in our coverage of Nevada gaming win and other development news.
What to watch next
- Station now begins managing the resort with the North Fork Rancheria under the seven-year agreement the National Indian Gaming Commission approved in 2024.
- With its two earlier California partners, Station handed the casinos to the tribes when seven-year agreements expired. The Review-Journal did not report what is planned at North Fork when this agreement ends.