Indian casino proposed in Mettler wins final approval

The Tejon Indian Tribe has received final approval to move forward with a casino half an hour south of Bakersfield serving as the centerpiece of a $600 million resort hotel expected to create more than 2,000 permanent jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars per year in local economic benefits.

The U.S. Department of the Interior agreed Thursday to place 320 acres near the junction of highways 99 and 166 into federal trust and grant a Class III gaming compact allowing the tribe and its Florida-based development and operations partner, Hard Rock International, to host slot machines and games such as blackjack, craps and roulette.