After a few-month delay due to the slow economy, Thunder Valley Casino is planning to open its 400-room, 15-story hotel tower next July.

The tower, to be topped by its own helipad for emergency evacuation, and an adjacent, seven-story, 3,800-space parking garage, will help create the resort with overnight lodging customers have been asking for, said Richard St. Jean, acting general manager of Thunder Valley.

The structures are easily visible for miles in the Valley; the exterior shells are complete.

“People don’t realize how convenient Thunder Valley is to the Bay Area,” St. Jean said. There are 5 million people in Thunder Valley’s market area. It has easy freeway access, is close to high-end shopping and, unlike Nevada casinos, “there are no chains required” during winter travel.

Kevin Thorstenson, vice president of hotel operations and part of a new management team, said the hotel will also have an exercise facility, spa, pool and multipurpose entertainment facility.

About 500 jobs were provided by the construction, and the hotel will add several hundred more to the 1,900 already employed. The casino adds about $50 million to the local economy each year, St. Jean said.

Two years ago, Thunder Valley announced plans for a much larger project, including a 23-story tower — an expansion reportedly valued at $1 billion. The sour economy led to the scaled back plan. Officials won’t divulge final costs.

St. Jean and his new management team have shifted gears to really focus on the consumer, he said.

The casino is constantly evaluating new games to stay competitive, and is updating its players club to cater to up to 10 tiers, or types, of players, said C.J. Graham, vice president of casino operations.

Tina Rogo, executive director of marketing, said Thunder Valley’s aggressive marketing program includes several large promotions revolving around fantasy football, giveaways of trucks, golf carts and boats, often with a game-show type atmosphere to generate excitement.

Seniors are those age 50 and above, and Wednesdays are seniors’ day, with special promotions, Rogo said. Thunder Valley, near the towns of Lincoln and Roseville northeast of Sacramento, is nestled between several large retirement communities, with tens of thousands of seniors.

Thunder Valley, which opened in 2003, is owned by the United Auburn Indian Community, a rancheria that includes Miwok and Maidu Indians. Since 2004, the tribe has donated more than $6 million to local charities, St. Jean said. The tribe also pays about $2.5 million a year in mitigation fees to Placer County.

The tribe has helped pay for road improvements to get to Thunder Valley. It advanced $18 million to the county so a new interchange at Sunset Boulevard could be built faster.

“It helps everyone in the region,” St. Jean said.


Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Where: 1200 Athens Ave., Lincoln

Phones: (877) 468-8777 or (916) 408-7777

Web: www.thundervalleycasino.com

Slots: 2,400

Tables: 103

Get there: Interstate 80 east toward Reno; exit Highway 65. Left at light onto Sunset Boulevard, which turns into Foothills Boulevard North. Right onto Athens Avenue.

Extras: Electronic craps and roulette machines; lots of giveaways.