Area seniors have been taking organized trips to Indian casinos
for about three years, but it’s not the gambling that draws
them.
The Gilroy Senior Center plans about one outing a month to
different Indian casinos in Northern California. Each day-long trip
transports about 50 seniors, with many coming from senior centers
in Hollister and Morgan Hill.
Area seniors have been taking organized trips to Indian casinos for about three years, but it’s not the gambling that draws them.
The Gilroy Senior Center plans about one outing a month to different Indian casinos in Northern California. Each day-long trip transports about 50 seniors, with many coming from senior centers in Hollister and Morgan Hill.
“They love it,” said John Garcia, Gilroy’s recreation supervisor who helps organize the trips. “It’s fun, and it’s a great chance for them to get out and spend a whole day out doing something.”
Recent trips have ventured to Table Mountain Casino in Friant near Clovis, and Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in Coarsegold. This month, seniors will go to River Rock Indian Casino in Geyserville near Windsor.
The up-front costs of the trips for seniors vary but usually stay between $15 and $25, Garcia said. Many casinos offer large group discounts and incentives, so a senior might pay $25 up front but receive as much as $20 in cash refunds from the casino. Several casinos also offer free meals to large groups.
“It’s inexpensive for seniors, and most of the time, the gambling is minimal,” Garcia said. “It’s more the excursion that appeals to them, a day away from home.”
Margaret Ryan, crafter and treasurer at the senior center’s gift shop, is a long-time, regular attendee of the casino trips. Ryan enjoys traveling, and she said being able to see different parts of the state is why she attends the trips.
“I have the itchiest feet in the county, I think,” she said. “It’s a chance to get away and do something different. It’s a chance to enjoy the scenery. Particularly for those of us living alone, it’s good to be around other people. Sometimes we need to be around other people.”
If the new casino is built along Highway 25 in San Benito County, as recently proposed by the California Valley Miwok tribe, Garcia said it’s a sure bet seniors would visit.
“If we get the same deals there that we get at other casinos, I guarantee we’ll go there,” Garcia said. “We wouldn’t have to leave so early, and some of the seniors don’t enjoy that two- to three-hour drive.”
Pauline Valdivia, a Hollister councilwoman and director of Jovenes de Antano, said casinos provide another form of recreation for many seniors, but she worries the temptation to gamble could hurt some. Jovenes de Antano provides recreation and food services for seniors in San Benito County.
“Usually a lot of elderly people live on limited incomes, and some of them might lose whatever little money they have,” she said.
Although Norma Seager, Gilroy’s recreational leader at the senior center, has attended a few casino trips, she said she can understand why some seniors decline to take them. Not everyone realizes right away what they’re spending before they’ve spent it, she said, which could be dangerous for seniors with limited pensions.
Ryan said that like several of her trip companions, she keeps her gambling mostly to penny and nickel machines, although she said she’s seen a few seniors who are not afraid to spend big.
“The nice part is, you can spend as little or as much as you want,” she said. “It’s up to you.”
Ryan said she’d definitely visit the new casino, but she worries about the impact it might have on traffic in an area that’s already heavily congested. And half the fun of going to distant casinos is the scenic drive, she said, not sitting in a line of cars.
The bad traffic would be enough to keep Seager far away from the new casino.
“Plus, it’s too close to your backyard,” she said. “I’d rather go somewhere that’s not so close by.”
Restaurants at the casinos are another attraction for many seniors, Ryan said, as the food is good, often free and caters to a wide variety of tastes. Buffets are convenient for seniors with food regulations, she said, and patrons are able to control their own portion sizes.
Ryan said she enjoys going to newer casinos such as Chukchansi for several reasons. The air filtration systems are more efficient and better channel cigarette smoke from the bar or smoking sections, she said, and the casinos generally are more sanitary with ticket-in ticket-out machines that eliminate coin handling.
Many of the newer casinos also offer better wheelchair accessibility, she said. For seniors not in wheelchairs, casinos provide open space to walk around, as many seniors live in cramped quarters in small homes, she said.
But amenities for seniors aren’t the only reason Ryan said she likes newer casinos.
“The graphics they have are really fun, too,” she said. “That’s what I enjoy the most.”
Staff writer Kollin Kosmicki contributed to this report.
