Spotlight 29 and Tortoise Rock casinos close temporarily because of coronavirus pandemic

The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians declared a reservation-wide state of emergency regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic and temporarily shut down its Spotlight 29 Casino near Coachella and Tortoise Rock Casino near Twentynine Palms.

The casinos closed at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19, and will be shuttered until further notice, according to a news release about the closure, just before Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered California residents to stay at home in an act to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“Today we declared a State of Emergency in recognition of the magnitude of this global pandemic and in the best interest for the health and wellbeing of our Tribal Members, Team Members of the enterprises and the valued guests of our casinos.” said Darrell Mike, Chairman of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians in the post, which was on both casinos’ websites and social media pages.

Spotlight 29 and Tortoise Rock were among the last Southern California tribal casinos to announce closure plans as other tribal casinos started to suspend operations beginning on Sunday, March 15.

“This decision came with careful consideration after hearing details about the federal stimulus package signed by the President yesterday which has major impact on so many of our valued team and families; I believe this is the right decision to preserve the best interest for all involved,” Mike said in the news release.

In the early 2000s, the tribe partnered with Donald Trump to rebrand Spotlight 29 as Trump 29. However, that partnership ended in 2005 when the tribe took back control of the casino.

Tortoise Rock, in San Bernardino County, opened in 2014.

The release about the closure said that employees would receive base pay and benefits for two work weeks and before having access to “any accrued vacation time in order to maintain income during this uncertain time.”

Valley View Casino and Hotel, in northern San Diego County, planned to close as of Friday, March 20, after originally planning to close March 23. Pala Casino Spa & Resort, also in San Diego County, planned to close at the end of business on Friday.

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