Two large-scale projects - Pechanga’s $300 million expansion and Sycuan’s $260 million hotel resort - generated about 1,560 jobs combined, not including construction jobs. It has also produced an untold number of full and part-time jobs. The building surge has prompted a competitive climate so fierce, casinos have been locked in an amenities arms race of sorts, leading to an ever-escalating level of luxury features, including upscale eateries, lavish lounges, swanky day spas and grand pool complexes. With nearly every change has come augmented gambling capacity. In that time, which kicked off with Harrah’s Resort Southern California’s crossing the 1,000-room hotel threshold with a $160 million expansion, an excess of $1.5 billion has been spent on everything from new hotels ( Pechanga Resort & Casino, Sycuan Casino Resort, Viejas Casino & Resort) to a new casino itself ( Jamul Casino). Valley View’s expansion is the last of eight major development projects among the San Diego region’s 10 casinos since 2014, an unparalleled period of growth that has made the area one of the most dynamic casino destinations in the country.
