After a 25-year journey, the Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opened Thursday, February 15. The establishment, 15 miles south of Chico near Highway 99 at 149 Openshaw Road in Oroville, is the first phase of the tribe’s development plans.
“The process of getting here started 25 years ago for the tribe,” Dana Dubois, the casino’s general manager, told ABC7/KRCR, adding that the casino has focused on personal qualities rather than the direct experience for its staff. “We have hired heart, not skillset.”
Dubois told the first patrons to visit, “come in and enjoy yourself; that’s what we want people to do, just have a good time.”
Dubois shared the vision for a larger “megaresort” in the future, saying, “We had to start somewhere, and together we created this.”
After more than a decade of legal battles with Butte County, the Mechoopda Tribe was granted a Class III gaming license for its Chico casino plan in August 2018. Construction on the site began in May 2022. In June 2023, the Chico Rancheria Mechoopda India Tribe, which operates the site, came to an agreement with Butte County regarding compensation for public services.
“This agreement between the Mechoopda Tribe and Butte County is vital to maintaining our mutually beneficial government-to-government relationship,” Dennis Ramirez, Mechoopda Tribe chair told the Chico Enterprise Record upon the signing of the compact. “We are very pleased to be going above and beyond the requirements of our gaming compact to work with local leadership on issues related to our gaming facility.”
