Odds for Building New Casino in Barstow Rise

With the conclusion of a draft environmental impact statement and a public hearing scheduled, it looks like Barstow's casino may be on track. The public hearing will discuss the almost 1,000-page federal document and will be take place on March 27 at Barstow College. The idea of the casino's opening is good news to local residents, in part because unemployment is very high at 17.2 percent. Nearly half of all residents receive some form of government assistance reported Ron Rector, Barstow's community and economic development director.

"This is going to be a shot in the arm that Barstow really needs," Rector said of the casino. The casino is not a done deal, however; major hurdles still exist for the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indian's $160 million proposed casino and neighbouring 100-room hotel. The proposed 57,000-square-foot casino is scheduled to be comprised of 1,325 slot machines, 57 game tables, as well as a conference and meeting room space and dining options.

The casino was proposed 10 years ago, but now it looks like it has a chance to opening, which at the earliest would be in 2025 or 2025. This is according to a spokesman for the tribe's development partner, BarWest Gambling Inc., which is based in Detroit, Michigan. BarWest is a joint concern of two of the area's key businessmen: Marion Ilitch who co-founded successful pizza chain Little Caesars and the owner of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team, and developer Michael J. Malik.

"I've never seen anybody with the tenacity and patience to get things done" as Malik, said a Victorville-based real estate developer and broker Joseph W. Brady, whose Bradco Cos. acquired the land for the project. The casino is thought to be able to employ some 800 people, likely local residents. "The constant challenge of our region is the creation of jobs," said Brady.

"With $40 million in annual salaries, this will help us provide living wage jobs," Rector, the community and economic development director, said. "It will help fire up the housing market. ... The spinoff will be huge," he continued.

Despite this help to the community, the proposal still needs to be approved.