Elk Grove’s newest casino is ahead of schedule. Here’s when it will open for business
Elk Grove’s Sky River Casino will open in early September, casino officials announced, two months ahead of schedule.
Casino officials did not specify a date in their Monday announcement, but work on the 100,000-square-foot casino west of Highway 99 near Kammerer Road is nearly complete as hiring continues.
The Wilton Rancheria tribe near Elk Grove and casino developer Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming kicked off the $500 million project on 35 acres amid much fanfare in March 2021.
Elk Grove and Wilton Rancheria leaders quickly touted the casino — the closest to the capital city in a highly competitive Sacramento-area tribal gaming market — as both a regional destination, an economic engine for a growing Elk Grove and a path to self-sufficiency for the long-struggling Wilton Rancheria.
The tribe’s federal designation was stripped nearly 60 years ago. The designation was restored in 2009, but years of legal battles to win a gaming compact and buy land that paved the way for a casino followed.
Wilton Rancheria Tribal Chairman Jesus Tarango spoke to the tribe’s struggles in remarks as part of the Monday announcement.
“Our people have fought for decades to achieve self-sufficiency,” Tarango said. “We fought for tribal recognition, for our land and for this historic project. We are privileged to partner with Boyd Gaming and look forward to the opening of Sky River, which will bring jobs and long-term benefits to our tribe, our community and the region.”
Sky River plans to hire 2,000 employees to staff the casino and its eateries. Wilton Rancheria has pledged to invest $186 million in Elk Grove and Sacramento County over the next 20 years to support public safety, roads, education and other services.
Boyd and tribal leaders had anticipated a November 2022 opening date, but Boyd crews by late March of this year were already well into construction of Sky River’s 2,000-slot machine gaming floor, along with restaurants, a pub and “The Market at Sky River” marketplace.
An estimated 1,700 construction workers are on the job on the gaming project.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 2:45 PM.
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