'We don't have anyone from the outside who comes in to run our business,' said Ervin. Many have closed - some permanently - due to changes in management or troubles with investment arrangements.Ĭher-Ae Heights itself has gone through several management teams over the years, although currently the tribal council manages the casino.

The same cannot be said for a number of California Indian casinos. 'We've been in operation for over 14 years and I'm proud to say that we've never closed our doors one time,' said Carol Ervin, tribal chairwoman for what is officially known as the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria. What started in 1988 as 'a 20,000 square-foot tilt-up, a tin building' - as one tribal official put it - will soon be a 50,000 square-foot facility with a new look, more slots, an expanded bingo room, a bar dubbed the Firewater Lounge and the 200-seat Sunset Restaurant overlooking Trinidad Head. No one is calling it a war, but a battle is clearly brewing.

How big is the gaming pie the two casinos will be fighting over? No one knows exactly, but according to a 2001 report by the New Orleans-based research firm Urban Systems Inc., the potential market for casinos in the northern Humboldt area could be as much $100 million a year. It's a high stakes gamble for both tribes: Trinidad's upscale expansion has set them back almost $7 million, while Blue Lake's new casino is costing about $30 million. But, as it is significantly closer to Arcata and Eureka, it will have the important advantage of convenience.

It won't be able to compete with the scenic setting of Cher-Ae Heights. The Blue Lake Casino will employ 300 people and could provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the local economy. Meanwhile, over at Blue Lake Rancheria, work is proceeding full-steam ahead on a new gaming facility located off Highway 299. Heights Casino, set on a bluff overlooking Trinidad Bay. WORK IS ALMOST DONE ON A MAJOR upgrade of Trinidad Rancheria's Cher-Ae North Coast Journal - May 2, 2002: COVER STORYĪre quietly battling for the region's growing gambling market.Ībove: an airbrush artist works on a Blue Lake Casino muralīelow right: Workmen complete rock work at Cher-Ae Heights Casino in Trinidad.

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