Sky River Casino visitors thrilled casino opens early
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Sacramento County's first tribal gaming casino opens early in Elk Grove
Sky River Casino visitors thrilled casino opens early — but say parking improvements are a must
Sacramento County's first tribal gaming casino opens early in Elk Grove
KCRA 3’S LEE ANNE DENYER IS LIVE NOW. LEE ANNE, LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE FINALLY STARTING TO CLEAR OUT AFTER A BUSY NIGHT. LEE ANNE: BUSY SEEMS LIKE AN UNDERSTATEMENT, PEOPLE ARE STILL MAKING THEIR WAY INSIDE. ONE LADY TOLD US SHE WAS COMING BACK FROM HER SECOND GO AT THIS. A LOT OF PEOPLE TOLD US THE PARKING SITUATION, THE TRAFFIC WAS HARD TO NAVIGATE BUT NOTHING WAS GOING TO STOP THEM FROM COMING OUT. AS THE SUN SET ON ITS FIRST DAY OPEN IN ELK GROVE, DROVES OF DRIVERS SNAKED THE STREETS LEADING UP TO AND ON PROMENADE PARKWAY TO SEE THE NEW SKY RIVER CASINO. >> VERY NICE, SPACIOUS. PARKING WAS NUTS. CARS WERE BACKED UP. THE PARKING LOT WAS CLOSED. IT WAS A HUGE TRAFFIC JAM. WE HAD TO PARK DOWN THE STREET AND WALK. LEE ANNE: ELK GROVE POLICE OFFICERS HELPED NAVIGATE TRAFFIC, BUT MANY DRIVERS PARKED WHERE THEY COULD, HOW THEY COULD, AND WALKED OVER TO EXPERIENCE THE NEW CASINO. >> SOME POKER, 21, ROULETTE, EVERY KIND. LEE ANNE: ELK GROVES CITY MANAGER CELEBRATED THE OPENING, SAYING THE NEW JOBS, NEW DINING, AND ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS ARE THINGS ELK GROVE WANTS AND NEEDS. >> THE CASINO OPENED, WE WANT TO SEE HOW IT LOOKS. WE HAVE SEEN PICTURES AND IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL. LEE ANNE: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE TRAFFIC? >> UNBEARABLE. I DECIDED TO WALK. LEE ANNE: ELK GROVE POLICE WARNED VISITORS STAFF WOULD SHUT DOWN CASINO LOTS WHEN AT CAPACITY, AND ENCOURAGED VISITORS NOT TO PARK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ACROSS THE STREET WHEN THEY DO SO. >> HOW WILL THEY DEAL WITH IT? WE LIKE THE FACT THEY HAVE OPTIONS. ELK GROVE HAS A LOT TO OFFER. THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. LEE ANNE: YOU CAN SEE ACROSS THE WAY, AN ATTENDANT IS HELPING NAVIGATE THE TRAFFIC. PEOPLE ARE STILL MAKING THEIR WAY INSIDE. THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WE ARE ON, THERE IS A NEIGHBORHOOD IN FRONT OF US. YOU CANNOT SEE IT, BUT FROM WHERE I AM, THERE IS A SIGN THAT SAYS NO PARKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SOME NEIGHBORS, WE ASKED ABOUT THIS, AND THEY SAID THEY WERE WILLING TO ACCOMMODATE A FEW EXTRA CARS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ADDING THAT THEY BELIEVE HAVING THE CASINO HERE BROUGHT MORE GOOD TO THE COMMUNITY THAN BEING CONCERNED ABOUT EXTRA CARS ON THEIR STREET. ELK GROVE CASINO IS OPEN.
Sky River Casino visitors thrilled casino opens early — but say parking improvements are a must
Sacramento County's first tribal gaming casino opens early in Elk Grove
ELK GROVE, Calif. —
Sky River Casino opened early Tuesday, delighting visitors throughout the day. The opening caused traffic backups and parking concerns on surrounding roads, however, many said they could overlook the obstacles as the casino finds its footing.
Traffic congested as drivers make their way to new casino
The Elk Grove Police Department helped mitigate traffic backups Tuesday after the new Sky River Casino opened early.
"We have officers in the area assisting with traffic control. Please obey all rules of the road and traffic signs. The casino doesn’t have any other off-site additional parking. 'No stopping' or 'No parking' signs in the adjacent area will be enforced," the department wrote on its Facebook page Tuesday.
Several people who lived in the nearby neighborhood, who spoke with KCRA 3 off-camera, said they knew people were parking in the area and walking over to the casino, but said they weren't particularly bothered by it and that the casino brought a lot of positives to the community.
Pedestrian safety a concern
As visitors scrambled to find parking outside of the designated lot once it was closed due to capacity limits, some got creative with spots and walked over in Tuesday's heat.
Jon Cox, of Elk Grove
"It was very nice, spacious, but the parking was just nuts," said Jon Cox, of Elk Grove. "We drove down and there was cars backed up all the way to Grant Line and they had the parking lot, was closed. They made everyone keep driving by, so it was a huge traffic jam."
Cox said he ended up parking a ways down and walking in the hot Tuesday afternoon temperatures.
Sochetra Sy, of Stockton
Sochetra Sy, of Stockton, said she enjoys gambling and had often traveled greater distances to do so. She said she planned to use Sky River now as her primary casino moving forward. What does she like to play? Sometimes poker. Sometimes Roulette.
Eugene Delacruz, of Elk Grove
"The casino just opened, so we wanted to take a look. See how it looks," said Eugene Delacruz, of Elk Grove. "We've seen pictures, and it looks beautiful."
Beautiful, he said, but when asked about the parking situation, Eugene said "unbearable."
"I parked a couple of blocks down and decided to do the walk in the heat," he said.
Delacruz said the casino definitely needed to address the parking situation to ensure driver and pedestrian safety. He thought more police officers could also have been on hand to assist.
Marcus Wong, of Elk Grove
Marcus Wong, of Elk Grove, thought the amenities and restaurants the casino adds to the community would be a unique and welcome addition to the city, but also had safety concerns.
"How are they going to deal with it?" he asked. "Is there a parking structure that's planned before the hotel goes up?"
Wong said he was shocked at how early the casino was able to open its doors and glad to be able to come check it out.
"Elk Grove has a lot to offer, but this is a little something different," Wong said.
City manager releases statement
Following the opening, Jason Behrmann, Elk Grove City Manager, released a statement praising the casino's arrival in the community.
"The opening of Sky River Casino is exciting for the Tribe and for our community. Besides creating a new source supporting tribal self-sufficiency, the casino is creating an estimated 2,000 new jobs in the city, as well as exciting new dining and entertainment options for Elk Grove residents and visitors. These are things that our community wants and needs," he wrote in the statement.
Take a look inside
Sky River Casino opened ahead of schedule, becomes first Sacramento County tribal casino.
Sky River Casino said it's hired 2,000 people from the area, and the business will easily bring in $125 million to the local economy over the next few years.
