The idea of the commercial casino industry striking management deals with Indian tribes isn’t new. “We’re eager for any opportunities to grow the company,” Snowden said. In addition to the 390-room M Resort, Penn’s other Western casino is the Zia Park Racetrack in New Mexico. “We love the location and it’s a new way for us to cultivate a whole new set of customers,” Penn National Chief Operating Officer Jay Snowden said of the property, which is being built in partnership with the Jamul Village Indian Tribe. The development is 20 miles east of downtown San Diego, California’s second-largest city and the eighth-most populous city the U.S. Penn National, which has 29 casinos nationwide, views the planned $360 million Hollywood Casino Jamul as an opportunity to increase its customer base in an untapped market. Those are two reasons regional casino giant and M Resort owner Penn National Gaming struck a deal with a San Diego-area Indian tribe to develop a long-stalled casino complex in Southern California.

Gaming expansion into states beyond recently approved markets is virtually nonexistent. New casino development in Las Vegas is on lockdown. Harrah’s Ak Chin, located in southern Phoenix for Ak Chin Indian Community, has 300 hotel rooms and a 40,000-square-foot casino.

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