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REPORT: Tribal Casinos Give Greenlight For New Year’s Eve Parties, Plan To Allow 6,000-Person Gatherings

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Elizabeth Weibel Contributor
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Several tribal casinos in California have announced that they have plans to hold private in-person New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Several of the California based casinos announced that they would be holding some type of New Year’s Eve celebration on their premises, while stressing that masks and social distancing efforts would continue to be enforced.

Due to tribal sovereignty, tribal casinos are not under the authority of the state of California or the U.S. government. Thus, while other casinos in the state were required to shut down under the current stay-at-home orders, tribal casinos were able to keep their doors open, according to The Sacramento Bee.

One casino, Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA is planning to hold a 6,000 person invite-only event for New Year’s Eve.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Thunder Valley is closing to the general public on New Year’s Eve and limiting the number of guests that will have access to the casino to 6,000, which is less than 20% of attendance on a typical NYE at Thunder Valley,” Doug Elmets, a spokesperson for Thunder Valley said in a statement to the Sacramento Bee.

Another tribal casino, Harrah’s Northern California in Ione announced on Tuesday that their New Year’s Eve event would allow guests to make restaurant reservations for parties of six, along with offering food and drink specials.(RELATED: This Year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Has More Than 2,000 Crystals On It)

“As part of Harrah’s Northern California’s ongoing quest to keep guests and team members safe, the casino is following a comprehensive outline of enhanced health and sanitation protocols,” the casino announced. “Guests returning to the property will notice changes to the experience, including limited guest capacity on the casino floor and dining outlets, social distancing procedures and enhanced sanitation protocols.”

Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert was scheduled to have similar New Year’s Eve plans as Thunder Valley until they attracted a lot of attention and announced via a Facebook post that they would be canceling their previously scheduled plans.