Sky River Casino, the resort owned by a federally recognized tribe Wilton Rancheria and opened at Elk Grove near Sacramento six months ago, has announced its expansion plans after the success of its initial operations.

Planned expansion:

The casino confirmed its plans and said that that the expansion is in line with the original plans made for the casino, which was launched in August 2022, a few weeks earlier than expected. The casino was launched through the partnership of the Wilton Rancheria tribe and Boyd Gaming, the Las Vegas-based company operating 28 casinos across 10 different US states.

Using the momentum:

Under the terms of the partnership, Boyd will manage the casino’s operations for the first seven years after the launch. Founded in 1975, the brand has vast experience in casino gaming and intends to capitalize on it within the given time frame. Therefore Sky River Casino wants to use the momentum gained over the first six months to expand further, bringing Wilton Rancheria $ 21 million in managements fees in the fourth quarter 2022 at the same time.

Extending the resort experience:

The guests and visitors would like to explore some new features and possibilities at the venue. “It would be nice to see a new hotel,” said Venicia Platt who was at the casino on Friday. “You know I’d like to see some entertainment like the competition, Thunder Valley,” said Phillip Amaro at the casino on Friday night. As CBS reports, many people would also like to extend their experience with the resort beyond just food and gambling.

Weighing profitable options:

Sky River Casino is a $500 million facility featuring more than 11,000 square feet of gaming space, 2000 slot games, and 80 table games. Besides, the property offer a 12-storey hotel with 302 guest rooms and suites, conference space, swimming pool, spa, and fitness center. After an early launch, the casino is now looking for an early expansion and weighs the most profitable options. “Maybe if there were other things to do, so people who are with them could be entertained while people are gambling,” said Platt. “That would probably be good as well.”

Increased traffic:

Some Elk Grove locals welcome the idea of having more people flocking to the area. Others are worried about the increased traffic and have some related safety concerns. Selena Lomba, who lives in the neighborhood near the casino, said about the place: “It has kind of turned into a bigger town versus the small town it was before.” Elk Grove police told CBS that they work closely with casino security staff and the Wilton Rancheria tribe on the occasional issues.

Assessing benefits:

“It is pretty. It is clean. It is a nice casino,” said Platt.  Sky River Casino has successfully completed the trial period of its operations and now takes its time to add value to the property through the well-balanced expansion which will improve its offering and bring benefit to the partners, customers, and the local community.