Valley View Casino opened the first phase of its all-new casino this morning and marked the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by casino development leaders. The ceremony also included the unveiling of original cast bronze sculptures "Three Generations" by artist Johnny Bear Contreras, a tribal member of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians.

San Pasqual Casino Development Group Inc. President/CEO Joe Navarro and Valley View Casino General Manager Bruce Howard presided over the ceremony, which was attended by San Pasqual Tribal Chairman Allen Lawson, as well as members of the San Pasqual Casino Development Group, the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians Business Committee, the San Pasqual Gaming Commission, Valley View Casino spokesperson Mark Grant of Channel 4 San Diego, tribal artist Johnny Bear Contreras and Valley View Casino management, team members, vendors and thousands of guests.

"We are standing here today in front of a dream that has finally become a reality for the San Pasqual Tribe, the Valley View team and our guests," said Navarro. "Our beautiful new building is the result of the efforts of thousands of people working together as team to create something amazing, and we are excited to celebrate this achievement with all of you today."

The new casino features over 62,000 square feet of new gaming and dining space, including a stunning new guest entrance, an all-new Players Club, a new buffet, an Elite Lounge and a non-smoking casino and bar. The casino floor now offers over 1,300 exciting new slot machines and ten new table games, including single-deck blackjack, double-deck blackjack and Pai Gow poker.

"Because of the incredible support and dedication of our tribal owners, team members, business partners and the community along with the amazing loyalty of our guests, today we open the doors to the new Valley View Casino," said Bruce Howard. "This is only the beginning of the future for our new casino and we will continually strive to provide only the finest gaming and dining experience for our guests. Providing exceptional guest service will always be our hallmark and regardless of how large we become, treating our guests as friends will remain our priority."

There is much more on the way for Valley View Casino however. The next expansion milestones will be the opening of the elegant Black & Blue Lounge on April 27th followed by the grand opening of the stylish Black & Blue steakhouse on June 1st. The remainder of the expansion, including increased slot machines and table games, an all-new buffet, a 24-hour café, an ice cream shop, a homemade pastry and cappuccino bar, an event center and a cabaret bar with live entertainment will be revealed this fall.