North Fork Mono Casino opened in Madera, California, on Tuesday, offering more than 2,400 slot machines and 40 table games.
The casino resort is managed by Station Casinos LLC, a consolidated subsidiary of Red Rock Resorts, in partnership with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.
The property also features a High Limit Room with 138 slot machines, 10 table games, a private bar, and a dedicated cashier. Its food and beverage offerings include eight dining venues and four bars.
“When you come in, it’s elegant,” Mark Ward, General Manager of North Fork Mono Casino, said in a report by Fresno Bee. “It’s also just a place where you feel like you’re at home.”
Manzanita Steakhouse, the flagship restaurant, features more than 250 local and international wine labels curated by a master sommelier. It serves farm-to-table cuisine alongside live piano music and cocktails prepared by an in-house mixologist.
Named after a tree species found in the Sierra foothills, the restaurant is designed to combine fine dining with a comfortable and approachable atmosphere, according to its general manager, Connor Jessop.
The menu will feature prime steaks, seafood, and hundreds of distinctive wine offerings. “Our focus is to also make those luxury options affordable because we want anyone and everyone to feel welcome here,” Jessop said.
The casino also features a high-limit room designed to offer a more private and upscale gaming experience, according to table game dealer Harry Rodriguez.
Several bars throughout the property take their names from natural landmarks in the North Fork region that hold significance for the tribe. These include Whiskey Falls, Rock Creek, and Willow Creek.
Clubhouse 99, the casino’s sports bar, has 56 television screens and serves craft beer, imported beers, and brews from across California, said Assistant Manager Alejandro Alvarez.
The casino’s mall-style food court offers coffee at Kopiah Coffee, whose name comes from the Mono word for coffee, alongside pizza, burgers and Asian food. Fuego Mexican Kitchen, the second location of a Fresno taqueria of the same name, is also part of the food court.
The casino outlet will introduce additional menu items, including fried pork belly chicharrón, said Aldo Ramirez, Fuego’s operations manager.
The North Fork Mono Casino’s future development plans include a hotel, parking garage, entertainment centre, and conference centre, according to tribal treasurer Maryann McGovran. She said the casino will generate additional revenue for social services for North Fork citizens, as well as for the City and County of Madera under the tribe’s official agreements with both governments.
The casino’s opening follows decades of efforts by the tribe to establish the property. However, state and federal lawsuits filed by opponents have delayed the project over the years.
The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, which operates Chukchansi Gold Casino and Resort off Highway 41, has a pending federal lawsuit seeking to stop the North Fork casino. Both tribes are awaiting a federal judge’s decision on whether to suspend operations at the North Fork property or dismiss the latest lawsuit filed by Picayune.
McGovran said she did not want to hold grudges over the legal disputes and delays, describing the opening as “a beautiful time.”
Ward said the years of delays gave the casino more time to incorporate community feedback into its plans. The property now has more slot machines than originally planned.
The total project cost, including all expenses, is approximately $750 million.