Free COVID-19 Testing At Pala RV Resort

 Village News - Pala Casino offers free COVID testing for the public

Excerpt:

PALA – Pala Casino Spa Resort announced free COVID-19 and antibody testing onsite at a separate testing facility located adjacent to the Pala RV Resort. Offering quick and convenient testing to the general public is part of Pala’s commitment to playing it safe.

All tests will be conducted at the drive-up testing location adjacent to the Pala RV Resort. The drive-up testing facility has been administering tests for Pala Team Members for weeks. The capacity has now expanded to make these services available to everyone.

Testing will be conducted by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling 760-292-6111. Normal operating hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., subject to change. Both tests are being offered free of charge, and there is no limit as to how many times a person can be tested. Results are available within 72 hours, and can be accessed via https://yourgotolab.com. All information is confidential.

[Read More At Link Above]

Pala Press Release:

Pala Casino Offers Free COVID Testing for Team Members & General Public, Including Antibody Testing

Tribal Casino Gambling

Tribal casinos keep COVID-19 details private while juggling economics, safety 

MSN - Camille von Kaenel and Jennifer Bowman

As many businesses remained under orders to stay closed during the coronavirus pandemic, tribes in San Diego County bucked recommendations from outside leaders and reopened their casinos with measures designed to limit the spread of illness.

It’s unclear if the gamble paid off.

Public health officials have confirmed that more than 300 of the county’s residents who contracted COVID-19 reported visiting a casino shortly before testing positive.

But the county won’t disclose whether any community outbreaks occurred at local casinos because they’re on tribal lands. The tribal governments have released little information and aren’t subject to federal and state disclosure laws as sovereign entities.

That means local outbreaks potentially are being left out of a metric the county considers in reopening decisions. Already, San Diego fails to stay under the threshold for outbreaks set by public health officials.

[Read Full Article At Link Above]

Pala Interactive In Pennsylvania

PR Newswire - Wind Creek Casino launches Pala Interactive powered Online Gaming Platform in Pennsylvania

Excerpt:

"Pala Interactive is honored to have been selected as Wind Creek's technology partner," said Pala's CEO Jim Ryan. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved the launch of the Wind Creek real money online casino on July 24th.  This launch represents completion of the first phase of a multi-stage real money and social casino plan.  The next phase will be the introduction of the Wind Creek sports betting offering in partnership with BetFred USA Sports and Scientific Games Corporation, expected to launch later this Fall.

Read Full Article At Link Above

Bill Bembenek Gets A New Job

Danville, Illinois Casino Team Includes Ex-Pala CEO, Former State Legislative Leader

Excerpt:

Another member of the Haven team will be Bill Bembenek. The University of Illinois graduate most recently served 10 years as the CEO of the Pala Casino Spa and Resort. His tenure at Pala, which is located about an hour north of San Diego, ended late last year.

The casino rendering Haven officials presented to Williams and other Danville officials looked very similar to the Pala casino.

Read Full Article At Link Above

Pala News

Thanks to folks in the comment section for pointing out some news coming out of Pala.

Here are the links:



July 5, 2019 Press Enterprise - Pala Casino, Spa & Resort cancels remainder of themed pool party events



July 9, 2019 Fox5 Man wounded in shooting at Pala Indian Reservation

Slots Slots and MORE Slots!!!

Hurray!  More Slots coming to Pala!! So many Slots!!  Probably Class 2...doesn't require reporting to the NIGC or the State...Revenue probably doesn't have to be reported to the Band...but hey!  MORE SLOTS!!  I guess this means Per Cap Raise is coming!! YAY!!!  Cut a dollar - raise a penny...just good business.

The upgrade has begun! The trucks are starting to arrive, as we add hundreds of slots and slot games to our floor over the next few weeks. This summer you'll be able to enjoy exciting new linked progressive games, state-of-the-art reels, and much more! @PalaCasino pic.twitter.com/dy64G6Q3k8

— Pala Casino (@PalaCasino) June 15, 2019

Revenue Allocation Plan

Resolution 01-07 by on Scribd

2001 Revenue Allocation Pla... by on Scribd

Pala Casino Replaces CEO

There's an article in the San Diego Union Tribune that I will post some excerpts of.  Please go to the link to read the full article.

San Diego Union Tribune Amid fierce casino competition, Pala replaces its CEO

By Michele Parente

January 10, 2019

Excerpts:

Pala Casino Spa & Resort, which has been showing signs of struggling in the ultra-competitive San Diego-area casino market, has replaced its CEO.

Fred A. Buro, a casino executive and gaming consultant, was brought on at the start of the new year, taking over for longtime former CEO Bill Bembenek.

In March, Bembenek acknowledged to the Union -Tribune that an unspecified number of layoffs — coming amid its planned $170 million expansion — was due in part to the economic pressures from “an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market.”

Then in July, Pala’s VP for hotel operations said the casino had deferred construction of a new 349-room luxury hotel tower — the cornerstone of its development project — attributing it to a duo of mega-expansions at Pechanga Resort & Casino and San Manuel Casino, costing a combined $850 million.

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Besides Bembenek, Pala’s longtime PR director is also no longer employed by the casino, but reports that Pala had terminated several other high-level members of its executive team and had cancelled its annual Christmas bonus to employees could not be confirmed.

Tribal Gaming is Going Strong Except at Pala (Apparently)

By all reports revenue at tribal operated casinos keeps going up.  Tribes all across the country have seen a bounce back since the 2007-2008 recession....except Pala.

According to an article in Variety:

Excerpt:

According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, revenue from tribal casinos has grown from $5.4 billion in 1995 to $32.4 billion last year, representing a rise of 600%. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was signed into law by President Reagan in 1988 after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn existing laws on gaming and gambling on U.S.
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“Tribal gaming is a very elusive kind of fish,” he says. “They might not be experienced or business-savvy, but they’re getting better, bringing in expert outside management. But working with them is like dealing with individual governments. Each one is a sovereign nation with its own rules, regulations and protocol they adhere to.”

Doug Elmets runs his own Sacramento-based public relations company, which handles Thunder Valley, among other tribal gaming clients. “Every single casino, tribal council and member are intimately involved in operational decisions,” he says. “They have a responsibility to their members, their employees, as well as complying with the many provisions that require their intimate engagement and involvement.”

Read Full Article Here:  Native American Bet on Gambling Enriches California and Reservations

It's hard to say if the Pala Casino has an actual revenue problem where business has dropped significantly - or - if the funds are being mismanaged.  It could very well be a combination of both.  The only way to find out is to have a forensic audit performed by an Independent Accounting Firm.

People need to ask themselves why Pala's tribal government has a larger budget for administering to a village of about 1000 people while many large Southern California City Municipal Governments with tens of thousands of people have much smaller budgets.

Where did it all go?  Where did the loans go?  What investments have been made?  Has there been a return on those investments?

How many more vehicles does the Pala Government need?  How many more private jets?

Maybe its time the Executive Committee take a cut in their budgets and stop asking the members to shoulder the burden they created.

Pala Casino Expansion Continues

Here is the link to the article:


http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article/pala-casino-continues-expansion-226323

Excerpt:

“Our full-property remodel and expansion is well underway. The heavy construction is behind us and we are excited to be unveiling these new amenities to our guests ahead of the bustling summer season. We have introduced both new indoor and outdoor bars, lounges and resort spaces that we feel uniquely capitalize on Pala’s beautiful Southern California location,” said Pala Chief Executive Officer Bill Bembenek.

One of the new indoor spaces that Pala believes will be popular is the new smoke-free casino space, which is enclosed with glass from floor-to-ceiling. Pala’s HVAC system has been augmented to ensure that positive air flows out from the smoke-free space into the casino area where smoking is allowed.

“As part of our casino re-model and expansion, we are paying particular attention to our many guests who prefer to enjoy the smoke-free areas within our resort. We have created a beautifully-appointed casino area that will offer over 300 slot and video poker machines, live poker, casino cashier services and several restaurants and bars. Guests are able to enter the smoke-free casino directly through the smoke-free hotel entrance utilizing our complimentary valet service,” Bembenek said.

http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article/pala-casino-continues-expansion-226323

Expansion On Hold?

Lot's of rumors floating around.

Can anyone verify?

I am hearing the expansion is now on hold.  Where is the money?  Was the loan secured?  Or did Pala (aka Robert) never even get the loan in the first place?

I am also hearing more per cap cuts are coming.

Seems there is a ton of tribal administration that could get cut before tribal members should be forced to take a cut.

How much longer will everyone keep voting in the same people only to watch the casino go down the tubes?

Looks like Pechanga is eating everyone's lunch including Robert's.

Pala Casino In The News

LINK:  Is San Diego's casino industry over-saturated?

By Michele Parente

Excerpt:
-----------------------
Also on Tuesday, Pala Casino Spa & Resort confirmed an unspecified number of layoffs, citing facility closures prompted by a $170 million expansion and remodeling as well as economic pressures from “an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market.”

Including Pechanga and Pala, a total of six local casinos have been undergoing expansions, with Barona Resort & Casino, Sycuan Casino, Valley View Casino & Hotel and Viejas Casino & Resort adding hotels, restaurants, spas, casino space and hundreds of thousands of square footage to their properties.

Longtime Las Vegas-based Indian gaming expert Dave Palermo said he’s not surprised that San Diego’s current casino building-boom bubble could be bursting for some.

“It’s extremely crowded there,” Palermo said. “It’s extremely competitive.”

“Those expansion projects are more indicative of the increasing competition among the casinos themselves rather than the economy. They’re trying to keep pace with the rest of the operators rather than expand their market share.”
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Please click the link above to read the full article.  It is very informative.   Every tribal member should read it.

Condolences to the Freeman Family, God Speed Nikki.  You are loved.

Pala Interactive's Jim Ryan Gushes For The Reporters

I would expect that there would be a large Christmas Bonus for Tribal Members since Pala Interactive is doing so well.  Thank you Jim Ryan.  I bet the tribal members of Pala are enjoying the tremendous benefit Pala Interactive is bringing to their lives.

Link to Article:

PALA’S JIM RYAN EXPLAINS HOW A CALIFORNIA TRIBE BECAME A MAJOR ONLINE PLAYER IN NJ

From PlayNJ.com

Excerpt:

RYAN ON PALA INTERACTIVE’S SUCCESS SO FAR
PNJ: PalaCasino.com recently celebrated three years in New Jersey’s regulated online gaming space. How would you assess Pala’s performance over those three years?

Jim Ryan: We are proud of our performance. Why I say that is because we entered the market a year after it opened without a brand and without a player database. To any onlooker, we were seen as an underdog.

However, we have quietly built our business and continued to improve our platform and add new games. We have been largely focused on our casino business and the casino offering has upwards of 300 games today. We were only one of two operators to introduce a bingo product and we offer bingo three times a week.

We have a very loyal customer base that comes and plays bingo but, equally importantly, that same customer base enjoys our casino games, so it is a growth driver. With the launch of our poker product in June, we are the only operator in the marketplace that has got casino, bingo and poker.

Equally with poker, which although has very small liquidity, it is already breaking even for us. So, in terms of overall performance, we have come from nowhere and while we certainly aren’t the biggest, we are far from the smallest operator. And in that respect, we are proud of those accomplishments.

PNJ: What about your performance in terms of revenue?

JR: We generally haven’t quoted the size of our business, but we do over $600,000 a month in revenue and we are continuing to grow at a reasonable pace.
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Read The Full Article At The Link Above
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Potentially up to $100 Million of allegedly borrowed money was invested by "The Tribe" aka Robert Smith.  3 years later the ROI is $600K per month.  What would it be if the money was just put in a savings account?

To The Honorable Robert Smith

Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Luisenos, you owe and must pay, or rather you will make tribal members pay as always for YOUR actions.

11 Oct 2017 Robert Smith Pala Trespass by kupa on Scribd

Dig That Expansion

Pala Casino breaks ground on $170M expansion, new hotel

By Michele Parente

Pala Casino Resort & Spa will offer "super cabanas" in the expanded pool and entertainment complex as part of its $170 expansion project. The cabanas can be rented out for concerts at the outdoor Starlight Theater as well as private parties. (Courtesy rendering)

Pala Casino Resort & Spa, which ushered in the era of luxury Las Vegas-style hotels in San Diego, will break ground today on a $170-million expansion and extensive remodel.

A 10 a.m. ceremony will kick off the demolition of the current swimming pool, signaling the start of a multi-year construction project that’s slated to be completed in May 2019. The expansion will add a new 349-room hotel tower, a splashy aquatic playground and an enlarged spa, casino floor and parking garage. The current hotel and casino interior will also undergo a significant update.

Read The Full Article At Link Above or Below

Pala Casino breaks ground on $170M expansion, new hotel

Mr. Jones

Pala Casino Tries to Keep Up with the Joneses with $170 Million Expansion to Southern California Resort

JULY 30, 2017 BY KEVIN HORRIDGE

Excerpt:

#
Gambling Sunny in California

The Pala Casino announcement is just the latest in a laundry list of resort overhauls in Southern California.

Pechanga’s current renovation is costing the tribal group $285 million. Construction is also taking place at the Barona Casino & Resort, Sycuan Casino, and Viejas Casino & Resort, all properties which are located in the San Diego area. Those tribes, however, aren’t revealing how much money they’re spending.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians says it needed to update its property to adapt to customer demand. Speaking to the pool area, which will be transformed to resemble a space typically found at major resorts in Las Vegas and to include bars, fire pits, and cabanas, Pala CEO Bill Bembenek explained that visitors are looking for a more luxurious experience.
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Slow Rollout

Pala Interactive, the tribe’s internet gaming division, has been operating in New Jersey through a partnership with Borgata since the fall of 2014. PalaCasino.com has been one of four live websites under the land-based resort, the others being BorgataCasino.com, BorgataPoker.com, and NJ.PartyPoker.com.

The New Jersey PalaPoker.com rollout was delayed for several years, while waiting for the arrival of PokerStars. But since the company’s poker site launch last month, traffic has been slow-to-nonexistent: according to PokerScout, PalaPoker is averaging just two players a week on average.
While New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement doesn’t break down internet gaming revenues by site, Borgata’s partners have generated $23.48 million in year-to-date income. Only the Golden Nugget ($33 million) has made more from iGaming.
#
Read full article at link above

Fake Casino Chips

Counterfeiting Suspect Told Deputies She Flew to China, Vietnam for Fake Casino Chips: Docs

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A suspect in a San Diego County Sheriff's Department investigation told detectives she flew to China and Vietnam to get millions of dollars worth of fake casino chips and labels for local casinos.
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Deputies arrested Lien Do, Hao Nguyen and Ben Ven Pham on Christmas Day last year, after a detective asked a judge for a search warrant for Pham and Do's Garden Grove home.

At the casino, Sheriff detectives found $300,000 worth of counterfeit chips in the suspects' car.
"It appears that what they were seeking to do was convert those chips into cash and to walk out the casino with the cash," said District Attorney Prosecutor Daniel Shim.
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Detectives found casino player cards for Sycuan, Pala, Pechanga and Viejas.

Read more at link above

California Online Poker Dead?

California Online Poker Efforts Shelved Indefinitely Very Little Chance Bill Will Move Forward This Year: Report

Excerpt:

by Brian Pempus  |  Published: Apr 25, 2017

It’s been 10 years since lawmakers in California began looking at regulating state-licensed online poker sites. Nothing has ever come to fruition.

It was already unlikely that 2017 would be any different, but, according to OnlinePokerReport, California Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, sponsor of the current online poker bill, has said definitively that there won’t be any action on it this year.

The debate could be restarted next year, but there’s no guarantee.

California tribes haven’t been able to come to a consensus on how to regulate the industry. Some don’t want PokerStars being allowed entry into the market.

...read more at link above...

Pala Interactive In The News

Pala Interactive has launched a free to play casino app that allows Pala Privileges rewards players to win real prizes at Pala Casino.

Pala Interactive launches social casino app for land-based venue

Excerpt:

The free-play site has been developed using Pala Interactive's proprietary social gaming software and systems, and is integrated with the casino's Pala Privileges rewards programme.

This allows Pala Privileges reward card holders to win real-world prizes such as free casino play, spa services, food and drink, and accommodation.

"We are really excited about the launch of this new gaming product," Pala chief executive Bill Bembenek commented. “We believe the games will provide another high-quality gaming experience for our guests especially those who are not able to visit our resort.
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read the full article at the link above.

Pala Interactive - Still No Poker?

Online Poker Report - GAN Annual Report Expects Real Money Gaming Deal With The Borgata To Begin In Summer 2016

Excerpt:

The existence of the relationship with GAN does not absolutely show that the Borgata wants to end the partnership with partypoker now that GVC has taken over. There is no reason why the Borgata can’t add extra brands to its gaming offer.

The industry rumor mill has Pala Interactive listed as a potential online poker provider if partypoker were to exit the market. PalaCasino is live in New Jersey, but despite developing proprietary software, Pala has not yet launched a poker product.

CEO Jim Ryan said that he would like to see the impact of PokerStars before making that decision.
Unless there is a dramatic change in the New Jersey market, such as partypoker exiting, Pala online poker looks unlikely to make an independent entry – the return on investment probably isn’t there.

Read Full Article -->Online Poker Report - GAN Annual Report Expects Real Money Gaming Deal With The Borgata To Begin In Summer 2016