Slot machines only 20 minutes from S.F.
By: Albert C. Pacciorini
Special to The Examiner
July 3, 2009
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| (Courtesy Photo) |
At noncommute times, slot machine aficionados in San Francisco are only about 20 minutes away from a variety of new machines.
The San Pablo Lytton Casino, earlier known as Casino San Pablo, is a short drive east on Interstate 80 from San Francisco to San Pablo. It’s probably the only California Indian casino so easily accessible by public transportation.
Travel tip: For a daytime excursion, take BART to the El Cerrito del Norte station, then grab an AC Transit bus (the 72R, cost: $2, time: about 10 minutes) or a cab for a short ride to the casino, which is on San Pablo Avenue. San Pablo Dam Road runs right into the casino’s front entrance. Coming from BART, the bus stops right across the street from the casino; going back to BART, there’s a stop just outside the casino grounds.
Another tip: It’s pretty busy on weekends — avoid crowds by coming during daytime.
The almost 100 tables of the earlier card room have been pared down to 25, still offering various forms of player-banked poker,
pai-gow and other table games.
The interior of the 70,000-square-foot, Moroccan-style architecture building has been freshly remodeled, and smaller side rooms have been opened up to make room for a variety of machines.
There are many favorites, like the Wheel of Fortune game. Due to legal complexities, the slots are really electronic Bingo machines, with a Bingo game running in the background; once the wheels are spinning, players must remember to hit the “daub” key a few times.
There are several restaurant choices: The more formal, Broiler restaurant and the lounge area in front of the bar also serves as an eating area. Food can be brought on small carts to seated table game players, and there’s a snack bar on the south side of the casino.
The casino and earlier card room have been a life-saver for the 30,000-population city of San Pablo. In the early 1990s, the city faced bankruptcy. The citizens resoundingly voted gaming in and the associated fees paid by it have kept San Pablo afloat even as other cities suffer severe budget woes.
Bradley Ward, city finance director, said last year’s general fund budget was about $18 million; of that the casino paid $12 million in various fees.
Casino spokesman Doug Elmets said it provides 517 jobs, including 200 union jobs. The local area also benefits from the casino buying goods and services from local vendors and contributing to local charities.
The Casino San Pablo card room opened as Northern California’s largest card room in December 1995; the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians took it over in November 2003, and it was remodeled and slots were brought in August 2005, Elmets said.
There are about 275 members of the Lytton rancheria.
Full disclosure: The author was a former part-owner of the Casino San Pablo card room.
San Pablo Lytton Casino
Where: 13255 San Pablo Ave. (at San Pablo Dam Road), San Pablo
Phone: (510) 215-7888
Web: www.sanpablolytton.com
By car: Interstate 80 east to San Pablo Dam Road exit and turn left
Public transit: Take BART to El Cerrito del Norte; then AC Transit bus (72R) or a cab.
Slots: 1,202
Tables: 25
Parking: 730 spaces
Open: 24/7
