Photo, left: Worker sanitize chips, cards and table with UV lighting; screenshot from Viejas video
On May 18, 2020, the Viejas tribe took the bold leadership step of reopening Viejas Casino & Resort in collaboration with other tribal nations in San Diego in advance of the Stage 3 opening recommended by California’s Governor Gavin Newsom.
ECM visited the casino on opening day, speaking with employees, guests and a union official about their experiences and the many changes in place due to COVID-19.
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May 26, 2019 (Alpine) - Viejas Casino is hosting a blood drive in partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 from 10:00 am ‑ 3:00 pm. The drive will take place in the casino’s Sycamore Room (5000 Willows Rd., Alpine).
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November 1, 2018 (Alpine) — A grand reopening of Viejas Casino & Resort in October celebration completion of a seven-year expansion project. The property now includes three hotel towers, a gleaming new center bar and high limit gaming area.
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By Tom Christensen, County of San Diego Communications Office
Image credit: cdc.gov
September 25, 2018 (Alpine) - A person who played bingo at Viejas Bingo located in the Viejas Outlets and rode the Sun Charter San Diego North Line to the facility has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and may have exposed others, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.
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September 2, 2016 (Alpine) --The San Diego Blood Bank will accept blood donations at Viejas Casino on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 from 10 a.m. ‑ 3 p.m. The drive will be held at:
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November 25, 2015 (Alpine)—For every toy donated to this year’s toy drive, Viejas Casino & Resort will match it one-for-one. “We have a very ambitious goal and we need your support to achieve success,” a press release states.
Since the Toy Drive in partnership with The Salvation Army in 2010, Viejas has donated over 30,000 toys, giving back to our community and helping to make the holiday season brighter for children in need.
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October 27, 2015 (Alpine)--Viejas Casino & Resort will be officially opening its second luxury hotel tower on Friday, October 30th. Thousands will be in attendance for the grand opening ceremony for the new five-story tower. Separated by the hotel pool area and the Park at Viejas––a designated space for concerts and special events––the new hotel tower stands near its partner, Viejas’ first hotel tower, which opened in spring of 2013.
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By the very happy East County Eaters at East County Magazine
Week 1: Terra American Bistro (San Diego/La Mesa area) and Viejas Resort & Casino (Alpine)
September 4, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—Our intrepid team of East County Eaters have been on the road in search of the best Happy Hours across our inland region. (It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it!) Each week, we’ll be featuring two locales offering diverse experiences. Whether your tastes run to sushi bars or cowboy bars, wine bistros or craft brew pubs, urban eateries or mountain taverns, you’ll find plenty to whet your appetite!
To kick off our series, we start by featuring two of our favorites: Terra American Bistro, a bistro and bar that prides itself on farm-to-table fresh cuisine--right down to the fresh-squeeze passionfruits in our cocktails and the refreshingly tasty and affordable appetizers, plus we tried our luck at Viejas Casino and Resort -- a four-star vacation destination hotel with some great specials sure to make you happy. Cheers!
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Believed to be the first bingo hall located in a shopping center in California
April 5, 2014 (Alpine)--What is believed to be California’s first-ever bingo hall to be located in a shopping center opened to the public today at Viejas Outlets, following a sneak preview and ribbon cutting yesterday. To celebrate the opening of the new Viejas Bingo at Viejas Outlets, there will be more than $45,000 awarded in April and a chance to win one of two new FIAT 500s.
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December 12, 2013 (Alpine) – When the curtain went up on stage at the DreamCatcher Lounge last night at Viejas Casino and Resort, it revealed 12,017 toys to benefit local children this holiday season.
Representatives of Viejas Tribal Council also presented a $15,000 check to East County Salvation Army Captain Terry Masango on behalf of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, along with the largest donation of toys ever received by the local Salvation Army chapter.
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November 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – A first-time visitor to Viejas Casino & Resort hit a whopping $58,221.78 jackpot after playing for just six minutes on a penny slot machine.
The lucky winner, from Whittier, California, was visiting a friend from El Cajon, who is a frequent guest at Viejas Casino & Resort. After enjoying the Buffet at Viejas on October 26, the El Cajon friend hit the casino floor for some table games play, and the visitor decided to try her luck on the Cash Multi-Spin penny slot machine. And after just six minutes of play, she hit the jackpot, according to Viejas.
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September 19,2013 (Alpine)—Friday the 13th proved lucky at Viejas Casino & Resort, where three Guinness world records were set on September 13 th in celebration of the casino’s 22nd anniversary.
“It’s a challenge, a difficult,” Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator Philip Roberts said after Viejas employees and guests teamed up to open 639 bottles of wine simultaneously. This broke the old record set in Las Vegas of 474.
Those gathered went to set another world record for most people giving high fives in one place: 684. The former record (405) was held by the United Arab Emirates, Roberts announced as the crowd cheered.
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June 4, 2013 (Alpine) – Viejas Casino & Resort has been awarded the prestigious Four Diamond status from the American Automobile Association (AAA), officially designating the property as one of the nation’s premier resort destinations.
Fewer than 5% of the nearly 31,000 properties approved by AAA achieve the highly-coveted Four Diamond distinction.
“We are extremely proud to be acknowledged as one of the finest resort destinations in the country,” said Viejas Casino & Resort General Manager Chris Kelley. “This honor is a testament to the dedication, hard work and professionalism of our Team Members and reflects our absolute dedication to the highest standards of guest service, accommodations and amenities.”
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March 17, 2013 (Alpine)--You're invited to the Viejas Casino Hotel Grand Opening on March 23 at 8 p.m. Join the grand opening weekend VIP party and the world premiere of "Rise." A 30-minute cirque experience specially commissioned for the occasion, this breathtaking exhibition of artistry and acrobatics could only be followed by one thing-fireworks.
Stick around after the show and take in an incredible display that will literally ring in Viejas Hotel's Grand Opening with a bang.
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December 30, 2012 (Alpine)--Thousands of people looking to get a jump on their New Year's Eve celebrations gathered at Viejas Casino Friday night.
Friday marked the start of a four-day New Year's Celebration at Viejas Casino. Each night, including New Year's Eve, New York City's Times Square is re-created at Viejas Casino, including a massive, 700-pound New Year's Ball that drops at midnight, with a countdown and fireworks to ring in the new year.
Each night, the party is free and features New York-style food, drink specials, free music and dancing to the local band Rising Star and DJs all night. And each night from now until December 31, at 9pm, a Porsche Boxster will be given away on the Viejas Casino floor.
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December 1, 2012 (Alpine) – East County Chamber of Commerce’s last First Friday Breakfast of 2012 will be held December 7 at 7:15 a.m. at Viejas Casino, 5000 Willows Rd., Alpine. The East County Toy & Food Drive will be showcased to highlight how many underserved families benefit each year from the charity and community spirit of East County residents and businesses.
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November 27, 2012 (Alpine) – The 37th Annual East County Toy and Food Drive is December 5 from 6 – 9 p.m. at Viejas DreamCatcher Lounge, Viejas Casino, 5000 Willows Road, Alpine. Drop by anytime during the event and sample heavy hors d’oeuvres, participate in opportunity drawings and silent & live auctions.
The suggested donation is $20 per person. All proceeds benefit the East County Toy and Food Drive serving needy East County children and their families this holiday season.
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October 22, 2012 (Alpine) – A U.S. Navy veteran planning to retire soon hit a jackpot worth $501,430.49 on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Viejas Casino.
The winner, who is from San Diego, chose to remain anonymous. He hit the early-retirement jackpot while playing a $1 Wheel of Fortune progressive slot machine on Saturday morning, October 13, at Viejas Casino.
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September 19, 2012 (Alpine) – Viejas Casino, Southern California’s premier gaming, dining and entertainment destination, on September 14, set a new Guinness Record for the World’s Largest Blackjack Table.
The record was set at 9:45 a.m. September 13, as six guests sat at a massive blackjack table measuring just over 2,226 square feet and played a hand of blackjack with chips and cards that were ten times the size of the actual Viejas blackjack chips and cards. Philip Robertson, an official “Adjudicator” for Guinness was on hand to confirm the measurements and witness the hand of blackjack…and the new record was officially certified amid a rousing round of cheers and applause from Viejas Team Members and guests in the DreamCatcher at Viejas Casino.
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September 12, 2012 (Viejas)– Viejas Casino, Southern California’s premier gaming, dining and entertainment destination, will attempt to set a new Guinness Record for the World’s Largest Blackjack Table on September 13 – Viejas Casino’s 21st Anniversary.
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December 29, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Looking for the best parties in town to ring in the New Year? This year, casinos on tribal reservations in San Diego’s inland regions are offering glitz, glamour, gambling and prizes galore at a variety of festive New Year’s Eve parties. Check out our guide below for details on the hottest options for welcoming in 2012:
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September 23, 2011 (Alpine) – A proposed 150-room hotel adjacent to the Viejas Casino would be “great for our guests and great for the community,” said Viejas public affairs director Robert Scheid at last night’s Alpine Community Planning Group meeting. The $36 million project would generate 450 construction jobs and upon completion, 45 employees at the hotel, said Scheid.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Guests to be treated to free meal at Harvest Buffet, $100,000 Bingo celebration and a Corvette giveaway
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VIEJAS ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR GUESTS AT A ROYAL TEA
Wedding cake, visits from royal family look-alikes and replay of historic wedding on TV
April 22, 2011 (Alpine) – Viejas Casino vows to treat everyone like royalty as the world celebrates the historic wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29. The public is invited to a Royal Tea (and coffee) from 3-5 p.m. in the V Lounge at Viejas Casino.
Cheers!
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April 12, 2011 (Alpine)--Anticipation is building at Viejas Casino, where one lucky poker player is guaranteed to win a record $100,000 in this weekend’s Viejas Poker Classic III tournament. For the third year in a row, the tournament will feature the largest poker payout to a single player in San Diego Casino history.
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Deal gives players more ways to win in MEGA Millions plus Viejas to have 22,000 winners in February Lottery promotions; winnings help benefit public schools
By Miriam Raftery
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September 9, 2010 (Alpine) –Viejas Casino (http://www.viejas.com) announced today that legendary singer, songwriter Michael Bolton will perform at the Viejas DreamCatcher Lounge on September 12.
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August 3, 2010 (Alpine) --Viejas Casino and Fox 5 San Diego rolled out the Viejas Cash Cube last week to help raise money for San Diego area charities. The event kicked off a month-long “Cool Cash” promotion at the Casino, where over $1,000,000 is up for grabs in August.
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December 1, 2012 (Alpine) – East County Chamber of Commerce’s last First Friday Breakfast of 2012 will be held December 7 at 7:15 a.m. at Viejas Casino, 5000 Willows Rd., Alpine. The East County Toy & Food Drive will be showcased to highlight how many underserved families benefit each year from the charity and community spirit of East County residents and businesses.
November 27, 2012 (Alpine) – The 37th Annual East County Toy and Food Drive is December 5 from 6 – 9 p.m. at Viejas DreamCatcher Lounge, Viejas Casino, 5000 Willows Road, Alpine. Drop by anytime during the event and sample heavy hors d’oeuvres, participate in opportunity drawings and silent & live auctions.
October 22, 2012 (Alpine) – A U.S. Navy veteran planning to retire soon hit a jackpot worth $501,430.49 on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Viejas Casino.
September 19, 2012 (Alpine) – Viejas Casino, Southern California’s premier gaming, dining and entertainment destination, on September 14, set a new Guinness Record for the World’s Largest Blackjack Table.
September 12, 2012 (Viejas)– Viejas Casino, Southern California’s premier gaming, dining and entertainment destination, will attempt to set a new Guinness Record for the World’s Largest Blackjack Table on September 13 – Viejas Casino’s 21st Anniversary.
By Miriam Raftery
April 12, 2011 (Alpine)--Anticipation is building at Viejas Casino, where one lucky poker player is guaranteed to win a record $100,000 in this weekend’s Viejas Poker Classic III tournament. For the third year in a row, the tournament will feature the largest poker payout to a single player in San Diego Casino history. 
By Miriam Raftery
September 9, 2010 (Alpine) –Viejas Casino (
August 3, 2010 (Alpine) --Viejas Casino and Fox 5 San Diego rolled out the Viejas Cash Cube last week to help raise money for San Diego area charities. The event kicked off a month-long “Cool Cash” promotion at the Casino, where over $1,000,000 is up for grabs in August. 
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