I asked one of the guys today for advice in playing slots. I stick to slots, mostly penny and nickel, playing very conservatively and stretching out the game. Now you settle for a slip of paper that can be redeemed for cash when you’re finished playing. Coins no longer drop into the tray for winners. You can’t play the slots without first sliding in your credit card-sized Club Card, which is actually tracking what you’re playing, how much you bet, what you win, and what you lose. It is amazing to watch the high-tech gaming that takes places now in casinos. I remember hitting Vegas back in the ’70s, feeding coins into the slots and pulling the level. And Chumash now seems to have their pick of major performing artists, with everyone from Sheryl Crow to Tony Bennett passing through. Their flagship restaurant–a steak and seafood affair called The Willows–gets great reviews.

Since then, the casino has expanded to be opened 24/7. The last figures I saw reported 2000 slot machines on the floor, 62 table games, and a 1000 seats for bingo. The “new” version of the Chumash Casino opened in August 2003. I was honestly surprised by how much fun everyone seemed to be having. Today, we just went to try our luck on the slots. It’s only 40 minutes from our front door to the casino. I used to think that way, but I’ve warmed to Chumash since moving to Nipomo. They certainly don’t want to breathe the cigarette smoke that drifts through the main floor of the casino. To them, the Central Coast is about being outdoors. They’d rather hike up San Luis Mountain or pedal furiously along Highway 1. Just like that.Ī lot of folks around San Luis Obispo snub their noses at Chumash. We were inside the building less than five minutes when someone in the group scored $2,000 off the dollar slots.

types down in Santa Ynez playfully call “Win Country.” It can happen. A group of us hopped on the bus and went down to Chumash Casino today, what the casino p.r.

Chumash casino bus shttule santamaria