Casino project in Yuba County clears hurdle

Colusa Resort could have more competition in the very near future.

Gov. Jerry Brown has approved a tribal compact for Enterprise Rancheria, clearing the last hurdle for the full hotel and casino to be built in Yuba County.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and released Friday, Brown said the thorough nature of the determination process, combined with the benefits for both the tribe and the region, convinced him the casino should get his approval.

“While I am reluctant to agree to the expansion of gaming on land currently ineligible for it, I concur in your determination in this case because of several unique considerations,” Brown wrote in the letter, listing the above reasons and several others, including that the casino wouldn’t be within a major metropolitan area and that the tribe had a historical connection with the land.

“I expect there will be few requests from other tribes that will present the same kind of exceptional circumstances to support a similar expansion of tribal gaming land,” he concluded in the letter.

If constructed, the casino will add to the regional competition for Colusa Resort, one of the earlier tribal casino operations in the region.

In addition to Colusa and what would be the new casino in Yuba County, there are two casino operations in

Oroville, one near Woodland, one in the Rocklin area, one in Placerville, another in Corning and several others that are only a couple of hours away.