Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa is a

Native American gaming Native American gaming comprises casinos, bingo halls, and other gambling operations on Indian reservations or other tribal lands in the United States. Because these areas have tribal sovereignty, states have limited ability to forbid gambling ...

casino, of the

Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe in California, United States. The main tribal groups are Cahuilla and Serrano. Tribal members also include Cupeño, Luiseño, and Chemehuevi Indians. Although many tribes in C ...

, located in

Cabazon Cabazon (Spanish: ''Cabazón'') is a unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail. In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & S ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States, near

San Gorgonio Pass The San Gorgonio Pass, or Banning Pass, is a elevation gap on the rim of the Great Basin between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. The pass was formed by the San Andreas Fault, a major tra ...

. The casino has 310 rooms and suites. A , 27-story resort, Morongo is one of the largest casinos in California. At high, the casino tower is the tallest building in both

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...

and the larger Inland Empire region.

History

On February 25, 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that neither the state of California nor Riverside County could regulate the bingo and card game operations of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. ''

California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians ''California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians'', 480 U.S. 202 (1987), was a United States Supreme Court case involving the development of Native American gaming. The Supreme Court's decision effectively overturned the existing laws restricting g ...

'' set in motion a series of federal and state actions–including two ballot propositions–that dramatically expanded tribal casino operations in California and other states. In 1995, a new building was constructed for the bingo and card games, and slot machines were introduced. The new casino was called Casino Morongo and included a dance hall, bowling alley, and diner. California Proposition 1A, also known as the Gambling on Tribal Lands Amendment, was on the March 7, 2000, ballot in California, where it was approved with a 64% win. It authorized the governor to negotiate compacts with federally recognized Indian tribes on Indian lands in California to operate slot machines, lotteries and banking and percentage card games, subject to legislative ratification. The Jerde Partnership announced the official groundbreaking for the Morongo Hotel on May 28, 2003. Perini Building Company topped-out the resort on March 31, 2004. The $250-million Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa, which opened on December 10, 2004, is one of the largest tribal gaming facilities in the nation. Casino Morongo closed for gaming in 2004, and reopened in 2018 as a separate casino due to an expansion project at the larger casino, displacing 300 slot machines.

Facilities

Morongo is one of only six

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

four-diamond casino resorts in California, with

Barona Casino Barona Resort and Casino is an Indian casino on the Barona Indian Reservation located in Lakeside, in San Diego County in California. It is owned and operated by the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians. Casino Barona offe ...

Viejas Casino Viejas Casino and Resort is a hotel casino and outlet center owned by the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, located in Alpine, California. The casino has over 2,000 slot machines, up to 86 table games, three restaurants, a deli, bingo, an off-trac ...

Pechanga Resort and Casino The Pechanga Resort Casino is a Native American casino on the Pechanga Indian Reservation adjacent to the city of Temecula, California. Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the largest casino/resorts in the United States, with more than 5,400 slot ...

, Thunder Valley Casino Resort and the Chumash Casino Resort being the others. Morongo's main casino floor is with over 2,000 slots and table games. Upon entering the casino, guests see a contemporary, retro-1960s interior. Light coves between overhead vaults, back-lit fabric draped between frames, and conically shaped light fixtures create a complex, ornate ceiling above the casino floor. The casino offers more than a hundred table games, including four-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'Em, Mystery Card Roulette, blackjack, pai gow poker,

mini-baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...

, and three card poker, as well as a 22-table poker room. High rollers can use a high-limit slot area with four table games and seven slots. The high-limit room also has a lounge with plasma TVs and complimentary food. Morongo's hotel accommodates guests in 272 standard rooms, 32 double-bay suites, and six casitas, the latter of which are located on an upper level surrounding the pool. Morongo's restaurants include the penthouse restaurant Cielo, Serrano (24-Hour Cafe), Tacos & Tequila, Sunset Bar & Grill, Natural 9 Noodle Company, and the Potrero Canyon Buffet, as well as a food court. Guests must be 18 or older to gamble on the property.

Transportation

Several private bus companies offer service to the casino, as well as

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

buses from Fullerton station.

Sports

Boxing

Boxing cards are held at Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa.

Mixed Martial Arts

Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa hosts

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...