The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California opened its long-awaited North Fork Mono Casino on Wednesday to the general public.
Located at 17770 Golden State Blvd. in Madera, adjacent to State Route 99 between the Avenue 17 and Avenue 18 1/2 exits, the $750 million facility has already had a positive impact on the region’s jobs, economy, and social infrastructure.
“Today we celebrate 25 years of perseverance and patience, as well as fairness and honor and acknowledge all those who got us to where we are today and on whose shoulders we now stand,” said Tribal Chairwoman and Spokesperson Elaine Bethel-Fink. “We honor our tribal leaders, some no longer with us, whose vision and perseverance set us on a path towards economic development and political self-determination; our tribal and community citizens whose patience and steadfast support kept us strong throughout the process, and our tribal, local, state, and federal partners who stood up for what was fair, right, and just to help our landless Tribe reclaim this ancestral land for gaming purposes in order to better serve our people and community.”
Speaking of the expected economic benefits of the project, Fink said, “The main promise of this project has always been jobs, business opportunity, community investment, and tribal development — and we began delivering these with groundbreaking in September 2024, immediately creating construction and facility jobs, along with valuable business for local hotels, restaurants, and suppliers. Now the fun really begins for the rest of the community.”
At full build out, the facility is expected to provide:
• Nearly 1,500 casino positions, most of them full-time with benefits and above minimum-wage salaries (one of the only local casinos offering this), plus thousands of spin-off jobs in the local economy
• A 24/7 high-quality gaming, entertainment, and hospitality destination for a wide variety of patrons
• A 100,000 square-foot gaming floor with Las Vegas-style gaming, including more than 2,400 slot machines and 40 table games such as Blackjack, Pai Gow, and Roulette
• Two full-service restaurants and six food court options, including Manzanita Steakhouse for high-end dining and Clubhouse 99 for casual fare
• A gift Shop, Cultural Display Wall, and non-smoking gaming zones, plus 4,000 guest parking spaces, including free valet services, VIP parking, and dedicated large vehicle parking for trucks, buses, and RVs
• Phase 2 (timing TBD): a 200-guest room hotel with suites, a pool and spa, parking garage, and meeting spaces
“We aim to be more than just the best gaming and entertainment destination in Central California,” Bethel-Fink said. “We want to drive the region’s economy by serving the community making significant investments in public safety, schools, parks, housing, economic and workforce development, local charities, unincorporated County areas, and more through our agreements with local governments.”
The facility is estimated to generate more than $2 billion in total aggregate economic impact to the region through the next 20 years through various economic benefits and drivers, including estimates of $140 million from local community agreements, $600-800 million from wages and benefits, $400-600 million from goods and services purchased, $17 million through increased local tax revenues, $750 million from construction outlays, and millions more for state regulatory and tribal sharing payments.
In addition to its external community contributions, the Tribe will use proceeds from the casino internally to strengthen its programs, sovereignty, and self-determination.
“Our Tribe has been innovative and successful in stretching every dollar of existing state, tribal, and federal grants and funding,“ Bethel-Fink said. “With casino revenue, we can now do so much more on our own and be less reliant on outside funding to advance our housing, educational, environmental, health, TANF, workforce development, and elder and youth programs, among others, all the while strengthening our culture and self-determination.
“The North Fork Rancheria, along with our local, state, and federal partners, chose to work together to make this project beneficial for all. No tribal gaming project in the nation has seen as much attention and scrutiny as well as collaboration and approvals as ours. Our Tribe and community kept faith and showed respect throughout the entire 20-plus-year process, believing in the power of collaboration and competition.”
The Tribe and Casino held several informal “soft opening” events recently to great reviews as they worked to tie up remaining loose ends, including last-minute court challenges.
“Our tribal citizens and community have said they care more about getting the facility open than formalities such as ribbon cuttings, so our opening was different from others,” Bethel-Fink said. “We’re still discovering fun and creative ways to celebrate together with all stakeholders. Opening the doors to this great facility should come as no surprise. In 2013, the federal government placed this land in trust for gaming, a decision multiple federal courts upheld in final, non-appealable decisions. We followed the federal process that governs tribal gaming to arrive at where we are today. Our facility and workers are ready to open. Our community wants it open. After 20-plus years, it’s time.
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About the North Fork Rancheria: The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians is a federally recognized tribe with more than 3,000 tribal citizens and government offices in Madera County. Since its federal recognition was restored in 1983, the Tribe has built modern tribal governing institutions to improve the lives of its citizens, many of whom have limited access to basic housing, healthcare, business, employment, and educational opportunities. The Tribe has to date leveraged its limited federal grant funding to operate numerous tribal programs. Learn more at NorthForkRancheria-nsn.gov and Northforkmonocasino.com.