A new casino in Madera County is slated to open in October, but not without more than its fair share of buzz – both in marketing and legal fights.
The North Fork Mono Casino and Resort, located just north of Madera fronting Highway 99, is scheduled to open despite being rejected by California voters for off-reservation gaming and a slew of lawsuits from its neighbors…
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, whose reservation sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, began planning its casino in 2003, kicking off the federal review process that took until 2011.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown approved the plan to open a gambling facility far away from ancestral lands with a gaming compact in 2012, which received the green light from the California Legislature the following year.
