Northern California casino closes to stem coronavirus. Newsom working with tribal leaders

Cache Creek Casino Resort announced Sunday evening it’s closing temporarily in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cache Creek’s announcement marked the first Northern California tribal casino to close. A day earlier, the San Manuel and Pechanga resorts in Southern California said they were suspending operations as well.

Other casinos announced they were taking precautions, such as extra sanitizing and other moves. Jackson Rancheria on Saturday said it was reducing seating at its restaurant, a move that dovetails with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s advisory that all California restaurants cut seating by half. Red Hawk Casino canceled its daily slot machine tournaments and announced its buffet would shut down Wednesday.

Tribal casinos, because of their sovereign legal status, have more leeway than restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues to stay open. “We respect sovereignty,” Newsom said Sunday, adding that he’d been in touch in recent days with tribal leaders.

I. Nelson Rose, a gambling law expert at Whittier College, said sovereignty means the tribes “are not subject to California state law ... Only Congress could force the casinos to close. It’s all voluntary.”

Anthony Roberts, chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which owns Cache Creek, said: “We are in unprecedented times, and our first priority must be to ensure the safety of our tribal citizens, guests, employees and the communities we serve.”

He said the casino and resort will remain closed “while we continue to assess the situation.”

Most other casinos were still open late Sunday but announced restrictions on some activities. Red Hawk Casino in Shingle Springs said its buffet would close Wednesday, and it was halting its slot machine tournament.

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This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 5:47 PM.