Poker Writer
A wild melee that included a stabbing created an ugly scene at Hard Rock Tejon Casino, a black mark on the early months of the new property.
The stabbing occurred in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, Feb. 2. Videos showed fists flying and several people brawling on the casino floor. A woman ended up at the bottom of the pile of people as more and more joined in the melee. The stabbing victim had moderate injuries and was treated at the hospital.
The alleged stabber was 40-year-old Miguel Valladolid, who was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities also arrested and charged a 37-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman with conspiracy. The genesis of the altercation was not made clear.
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A SoCal Casino to ‘Rival Vegas’
Hard Rock Tejon is less than three months old, having opened on Nov. 14. The casino is just outside of Bakersfield, California, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles. It is a tribal casino located on land owned by the Tejon Indian Tribe and operated by Hard Rock International.
The casino project received a lot of hype before its opening, as it was touted as Southern California’s answer to Vegas. Many residents of the SoCal region make the few-hour drive to Vegas for weekend getaways. There was some belief that Hard Rock Tejon could divert some of that traffic with its new resort.
The $600 million casino is larger than some of the Vegas properties. It boasts 150,000 square feet of gaming space and more than 2,000 slot machines. The amount of space is comparable to some of the largest in Vegas, such as Mandalay Bay, which is a touch smaller with 147,992 square feet of casino space.
Kern County (the county where the casino is located) supervisor Jeff Flores highlighted the significance of the casino to the county about a month before its opening:
(It is) biggest private economic development project in the history of the county. We feed the world, fuel the world and defend the world … we can now add a fourth pillar — we entertain the world.
Is there Poker at Hard Rock Tejon?
Unfortunately for poker players in the area, there are currently no plans in place for a poker room.
Hard Rock Tejon Reception Underwhelming So Far
Before this stabbing, the new casino had largely not made the hoped-for impact. Some users on Reddit expressed disappointment at the lack of offerings at a casino meant to meet Vegas standards:
No hotel, no pool (because no hotel), no poker, no sports book, a steakhouse, a pan Asian restaurant, and a cafe. It looks nice enough but if I’m driving 90 minutes I’d rather just take a 30 min flight to Vegas.
However, some praised the facility’s look and cleanliness. There were mixed reviews on a local news Facebook page after the grand opening. Some patrons pushed back against the complaints and implored locals to give the new casino a chance:
- “People need to stop. It’s really beautiful. Just give it time to get more stuff built. It’s just like any casino you go to.”
- “I think people are complaining too much. Gee let it grow it just opened. If u want Vegas go to Vegas.”
