# Thunder Valley Casino Resort

Thunder Valley Casino Resort is a hotel and casino located in unincorporated Placer County in Whitney, California near the city of Lincoln, California, 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Sacramento. It is owned and operated by the United Auburn Indian Community and designed by architect Edward Vance of JMA Architecture Studios, located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The resort opened on June 9, 2003. It was operated by Station Casinos from 2003 to 2010.
The 275,000-square-foot (25,550 m$^2$) facility offers a variety of gaming including slot machines, live poker and various other table games.

## History

Thunder Valley Casino Resort is owned by the United Auburn Indian Community, a Native American tribe consisting of mostly Miwuk and Maidu Indians indigenous to the Sacramento Valley region. In the 1950s and '60s, the United States government terminated 41 California rancherias—mini-reservations, including that of the Miwok and Maidu Auburn band. As a way to lift themselves out of poverty, the members of the tribe decided to build a casino after Congress restored the tribe's federal status in 1994, allowing the tribe to acquire land under tribal sovereignty.
The United Auburn Indian Community entered into a tribal-state gaming compact with the State of California in September 1999 in order to conduct Class III gaming on trust land. This compact was later successfully renegotiated with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004.
Thunder Valley was designed by JMA Architecture Studios and built by the PENTA Building Group. The casino was opened in June 2003 and then expanded starting in March 2009 and finishing July 2010. Designed by Las Vegas Architect Paul Steelman of Steelman Partners, with JMA serving as the Architect of Record, the expansion included the build-out of an additional 80,000 square feet of gaming floor space (adding approximately 1,800 slots), a 30,000 square foot luxury spa and fitness facility, and 30,000 square foot convention and meeting room space. In addition to the casino expansion, the project consisted of a 12-story, 297 room hotel tower and a 7-story parking garage.
The UAIC is known for their efforts to abide by state and local land-use laws, even though they are not obligated to do so under sovereignty law. For example, the UAIC chose to include the California Environmental Quality Act in its local agreement, something only a handful of tribes submit to.

## Gambling

The casino has over 3,000 slot and video machines, 125 table games (including blackjack and paigow) and a live poker room with enough space for 160 players. The casino regularly holds promotions and special events including drawings, cash prizes, and tournaments.

## Attractions

The expansion completed in July 2010 includes a 17-story luxury hotel with 408 rooms, with 46 suites. Inside the hotel is a large banquet and entertainment hall (Pano Hall) with the capacity of 1,000 guests, meeting rooms, bars and a gift shop. The pool has surrounding private cabanas and a poolside bar, Coconut. There are a total of 14 restaurants and bars.
The spa offers facials, massages, pedicures, manicures, Lomi Lomi, hot stone massages, and the signature 24-karat gold leaf facial. There is also a sauna, whirlpool, steam room, and health club. Steelman Partners was the architect and interior designers. shop12 was the lighting designers for the major expansion in 2010.
Thunder Valley Casino Resort hosts a number of concerts and shows in the summertime in their outdoor amphitheater.

## Entertainment
### The Venue

The Venue at Thunder Valley is a new $100 million entertainment venue which opening on February 17, 2023 with a performance by the Eagles. It hosts 4,500 seats inside a 150,000 square foot state-of-the art theater.

#### Events

A list of events at The Venue :
| Date | Event | Tour | Attendance | Revenue | Notes |
| February 17 | Eagles | Hotel California 2023 Tour | — | — | Opening night of The Venue |
| February 18 | Bruno Mars | Bruno Mars | — | — | — |
| February 19 | Santana | Blessings and Miracles Tour | — | — | — |
| February 24-25 | Gabriel Iglesias | Gabriel Iglesias | — | — | — |
| March 3 | Sammy Hagar And Friends | Live | — | — | — |
| March 4 | Charlie Wilson | Charlie Wilson | — | — | After 7 will serve as opening act |
| March 11 | Xuan Hoi NGO | Vietnamese Show | — | — | First foreign event |
| March 17 | Dirty Heads | Dirty Heads | — | — | Common Kings will serve as opening act |
| March 18 | The Beach Boys | The Beach Boys | — | — | — |
| March 24 | Jeff Dunham | Still Not Canceled | — | — | — |
| March 25 | Anjelah Johnson-Reyes | Anjelah Johnson-Reyes | — | — | — |
| March 31 | Kevin James | The Irregardless Tour | — | — | — |
| April 1 | Kansas | Kansas | — | — | Blue Öyster Cult will serve as opening act |
| April 7 | Boyz II Men | Boyz II Men | — | — | Troop and Soul For Real will serve as opening acts |
| April 8 | Michael Carbonaro | Lies On Stage | — | — | — |
| April 14 | Third Eye Blind | An Evening with Third Eye Blind | — | — | — |
| April 15 | One Vision of Queen | One Vision of Queen | — | — | — |
| April 22 | Vivian Chow | A Long and Lasting Love | — | — | — |
| April 28 | Bryan Adams | So Happy It Hurts Tour | — | — | — |
| April 29 | Train | Train | | | |
| May 5 | Mi Banda El Mexicano, Banda Marcos, Banda Maguey | Quebradita Time! | — | — | — |
| May 6 | The Black Crowes | The Black Crowes | — | — | — |
| May 12 | Sarah Silverman | Sarah Silverman | | | |
| May 13 | John Fogerty | John Fogerty | | | |
| May 19 | Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons | Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons | — | — | — |
| May 20 | Journey | Journey | | | |
| May 25-26 | Eraserheads | Huling El Bimbo Tour | — | — | — |
| May 27 | REO Speedwagon | REO Speedwagon | — | — | John Waite will serve as opening act |
| June 2 | Kid Rock | Bad Reputation Tour | — | — | — |
| June 3 | V101 Summer Jam, Nelly, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Chingy, Twista, Luniz | V101 Summer Jam, Nelly, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Chingy, Twista, Luniz | — | — | — |
| June 8 | Kevin Hart | Reality Check Tour | | | |
| June 9 | Ringo Starr and His All Star Band | Ringo Starr and His All Star Band | — | — | — |
| June 10 | Tesla | Full Throttle Live 2023 | — | — | Buckcherry will serve as opening act |
| June 17 | Australia's Thunder from Down Under | Australia's Thunder from Down Under | — | — | — |
| June 23 | Johnny Mathis | The Voice of Romance Tour | — | — | — |
| August 11 | The Australian Pink Floyd Show | The Australian Pink Floyd Show | — | — | — |
| October 27 | Janet Jackson | Together Again Tour | — | — | — |
| November 4 | Gwen Stefani | | — | — | — |
| February 3, 2024 | Duran Duran | | — | — | — |
| February 17, 2024 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Global Stadium Tour | | — | — |
| April 20, 2024 | Wakin Chau | The Younger Me Concert Tour | — | — | — |
| May 31, 2024 | Sublime with Rome | Farewell Tour | | | |

## Philanthropy

Using the revenue generated from Thunder Valley, the UAIC gives about $1 million annually to nonprofit groups in Placer County. Some beneficiaries of ongoing and previous donations include the Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center, Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Foundation, and Foothill Volunteer Center.
In January 2005, the UAIC donated $250,000 to assist Habitat for Humanity International's (HFHI) relief efforts in southern Asia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
In January 2010, the UAIC donated $50,000 to Partners in Health for their efforts in the 2010 Haiti earthquake aftermath.