Mena plans to turn that area into another, open-to-all, restaurant once he is able to bring on more food and beverage staff. There’s also a restaurant area available for catered events. The bar in the Fan Cave is separated from the rest of the lounge, which allows seating for those under the age of 21. It features numerous televisions and includes a couple of 85-inch screens so people can watch sports and other requests.

The New Phoenix features a lounge, which has been dubbed the Fan Cave. Despite the sports bar amenities at both New Phoenix and The Last Frontier, Washington only allows sports wagering at tribal casinos.

The amount of TV screens adorning the walls adds a sports bar feel, providing patrons with easy viewing. The New Phoenix features an Asian influence, which can be found in the cuisine and through hints in the design. The minimum for most of the table games is set at $5, which can be more inviting to the casual gambler, while baccarat’s minimum is $10. It’s not like the old card rooms that were really dark and dingy.” It’s well lit, which is a nice feature, I think. “We spread it out all the way across the room so it’s nice and open for everybody. That’s what we’re allowed by law,” Mena said. The New Phoenix includes a new bar area in the gaming room, which makes it easier for servers and players to access drinks, the owners said. That led Mena to partner with the owner of New Phoenix and The Last Frontier. Mena’s company was bought by Maverick Gaming in 2019, which operates 22 card rooms in Washington. He has opened three card rooms from the ground up and has managed up to 10 at one time when he was the vice president for Nevada Gold. Mena has been in the card room industry since 2001. Community members, city leaders and others were in attendance as the ribbon was cut by General Manager Chris Swindell. “We definitely want to make sure that the community understands that we are there to support them,” he said.Īfter a soft reopening in October, the City of La Center approached the casino to host the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mena said approximately 210 people are employed at The Last Frontier and New Phoenix Casino. Those table games include blackjack and baccarat. “In the opening of the Phoenix, we made The Last Frontier all poker and the Phoenix is all house-banked table games,” Mena said. Business partners Victor Mena and Bob Clark have the majority ownership of the venue, while previous owner George Teeny remains a partner.

The card room opened in 1991, but closed in 2017. Cade Barker / new ownership group cut the ribbon to celebrate the reopening of The New Phoenix Casino on Wednesday, March 1, which opened its doors back in October.

Phoenix casino