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You don’t always associate casinos with California. Many people falsely believe you can’t gamble there — which is not true. While sports betting in California is illegal, but casino betting is NOT.
There are several casinos across California — all owned by Native American tribes. Some of them are on the unique side, including the one we’ll be talking about here: Harrah’s Northern California. It’s located in Ione, California, not far off from Sacramento. You’re going to want to keep reading to hear about its one-of-a-kind jackpot.
HotSeat Jackpot Is A Gem
Casino is a copycat industry. It’s almost impossible to find something unique because of its working, another casino will inevitably take the idea and run with it. That’s why we were surprised to see Harrah’s Northern California offer this — a HotSeat Jackpot.
A large portion of you are probably thinking, “what the heck is a HotSeat jackpot anyway?” Some places have called it HotSeat Lotto, but it’s essentially a universally connected jackpot. Players can head to their favorite gambling table (blackjack, craps, etc.) but stay eligible for a jackpot across the casino. Once every hour, the tablet on the table will ring, signaling that a four-minute betting window is open.
During these four minutes, players can eagerly anywhere from $1 to $100. Each dollar they bet during that window gets them one entry into the jackpot. So for a bettor throwing $80, they’d get 80 entries. The more you bet, the more you’re likely to win. All the while they’re doing this, they can see how big the jackpot is growing since all the gambling tables are connected.
After the betting window finishes, a random winner is selected. The tablet screens will flash across all tables before announcing the lucky winner AND how big their jackpot win is. Boom — that’s the game. And to repeat, this jackpot hits once an hour at Harrah’s Northern California. Not too shabby, eh?
HotSeat Jackpots On A Roll
As of right now, Harrah’s Northern California is the only establishment to offer a jackpot of this kind in the United States. That distinction likely won’t stand though because HotSeat is catching fire in different markets.
According to Lance Lietzau, CEO of HotSeat Lotto, the game has caught fire in Mexico at different locations. He’s excited to bring the game into the United States.
“We couldn’t imagine a better partner than Harrah’s Northern California to debut our cutting-edge community-based hot seat gaming product here in the United States,” said Lance Lietzau, CEO of HotSeat Lotto.
Back in 2022, the Global Protection and New Table Game Conference (hosted in Las Vegas) put HotSeat Lotto as the third-best new table game of that year. Jackpots are usually big hits with bettors so we can see why it’s catching in.
This Harrah’s location is the perfect “guinea pig” per se. It’s only five years old and is owned and operated by Caesars — so they’re no slouches. The casino stretches 25,000 square feet and features 20 gaming tables on the floor, which will make this jackpot all the more exciting.
“The experience gained in rolling out both our single casino, as well as wide area progressive system, which allows multiple casinos under the same brand to link players across multiple properties, has ensured a seamless launch for guests at Harrah’s,” said Lietzau.
Sacramento Betting Scene Catching Fire
In and around the Sacramento area is one of underrated hot spots of legal betting in the United States. The area is trying to compete with Lake Tahoe and Reno — two big betting spots in Nevada where historically, northern California locals flocked to for gambling. Welp, not as much anymore.
Harrah’s Northern California, which is owned by the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, has carved out a name for itself in the five years it’s been in business. The same year that it opened so did the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain. Obviously, the Hard Rock has a well-known name across the world, not just the United States. This Sacramento property is operated by the Estom Yumeka Maidu Indians of the Enterprise Rancheria.
There’s also a brand-new Sky River Casino in the Elko Grove suburb. This one cost $500 million and opened in 2022. High price tag, but one that’s already been paid off due to the overwhelming success of the property. Impressive!
Things are going so well that Boyd Gaming, which owns Sky River (in agreement with a local tribe), is already planning an expansion only two years into the opening. The lynchpin of the expansion? A new hotel (the current property doesn’t have one at all).
“While these plans are still preliminary, the Tribe and our company are optimistic about the potential of an expansion project given Sky River’s performance to date,” said Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith Smith.
Don’t sleep on the Sacramento area for gambling. Between brand-new casinos and first-of-its-kind jackpots, this region is sneaking up on the competition!
