Betting on clubs

JAMIE FOXX strutted across the stage in a sparkling belt buckle and diamond studs in his ears, having shed his white dinner jacket and donned a red, rhinestone-encrusted Dodgers cap to blow through songs from his platinum-selling album “Unpredictable.”

“She takes my money / when I’m in need,” the comedy veteran and Oscar winner riffed. Fans’ camera phones shot into the air during the instantly recognizable intro to the Kanye West super single “Gold Digger.”

“Yeah, she’s a trifling friend indeed,” Foxx continued, doing his best Ray Charles impression as the DJ launched into a “What’d I Say” remix.

Just before, he had been hamming it up at the piano with a few Charles-inspired numbers and basking in a cameo appearance by hip-hop melody man Nate Dogg. Foxx had dedicated the show to his beloved grandmother, and he exhorted the sold-out audience of nearly 4,000 to “say uhhhhh.” And he had name-checked San Bernardino.

Why? Because on this Thursday night, Foxx was not on the Vegas Strip or in Hollywood promoting his film “Miami Vice,” out next week. He was at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.

Look at Southern California’s Indian casinos, and the sleepy bingo parlors housed in temporary digs are largely gone, replaced in recent years by trendy nightspots, big-name entertainment and resort amenities including spas and lushly appointed hotel rooms.

Take Morongo Casino Resort & Spa’s 27-story desert monolith just west of Palm Springs, part of the new generation of Indian casinos. Swarovski crystal chandeliers dangle from the gold-leaf ceiling of the swanky top-floor restaurant with wraparound mountain views. Tanned and oiled twentysomethings sip foot-high cocktails by the pool’s lazy river. With the swaying palms and searing desert sun overhead, block out the big rigs snaking along Interstate 10 for just a minute, and you might mistake Cabazon for Vegas.

Sort of.

“It’s Vegas without the four-hour drive,” said Matthew Worthy, 22, a machine shop owner from Orange celebrating his girlfriend’s 21st birthday by guzzling fruity concoctions from 83-ounce buckets poolside.

That’s exactly what promoters at these new and expanding oases want day-trippers to think. “We offer anything and everything you’d find in Vegas,” said Ciara Coyle, public relations manager for Pechanga Resort & Casino near Temecula.

Competition for the young and the hip at Southern California’s gambling palaces is heating up. Pleasure seekers are coming from places like Corona, Northridge, San Diego, La Habra and Newport Beach by the thousands, tugged by Indian casinos’ neon tractor beam. California’s $7.2-billion Indian gaming industry is the largest in the nation, with 55 tribes operating 57 casinos statewide in 2005, according to this year’s Indian Gaming Industry Report by Alan Meister, an economist with L.A. financial consultants Analysis Group.

Nearly a dozen of these are in the Inland Empire, with close to a dozen more sprinkled across San Diego, Santa Barbara and Inyo counties. There are plenty of glittering pit stops an hour or three’s drive from downtown L.A., with inland casinos strung along Interstate 10 and scattered from southwest Riverside County to the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains to the Arizona line.

Nongaming revenue at California’s Indian casinos -- increasingly drawn from nightclubs and concerts -- jumped by nearly a third last year, to $710 million, according to Meister’s report. Since Vegas-style gaming on reservation lands was approved by voters in 2000, the tribes’ growing juggernaut has been fueled in no small part by flashier attractions, like shows by rapper-actor Ludacris in June at San Manuel and the luxe dance floor and VIP cabanas at Pechanga’s Silk nightclub.

Some casinos will pay talent 30% to 50% more than similar venues to lure performers farther afield, said Roger LeBlanc, a talent buyer for Key Club at Morongo. “Indian casinos have certainly become one of the biggest consumers of music talent out there as far as buying,” he said. But casinos’ paying a premium for performers does not necessarily translate into higher ticket prices, because casinos can often absorb the costs through gaming revenue.

“Look at the success of the Palms and Hard Rock [in Las Vegas] in grabbing a market niche and very, very successfully going after a younger crowd, a more edgy crowd,” said Bill Eadington, an economics professor and director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada at Reno. “More of the Southern California tribes thought that’s what they’d be able to do,” although their ultimate success remains to be seen, he added.

The shift from older and more blue-collar patrons who live near casinos isn’t without risk: “People who frequent the tribal casinos have a very different demographic than who you’d find in the lounges at the Palms,” Eadington said, alluding to the Parises, Lindsays and Britneys who frequent Vegas’ trendiest locales.

Big names

Even so, Morongo’s $250-million getaway bears more than a passing resemblance to that Vegas celebrity magnet, the Palms: Both were designed by the same big-name architectural firm, the Jerde Partnership.

Yet the newly glam resort spot, which opened in December 2004 with a star-studded gala featuring Destiny’s Child, has stumbled as it sought the right formula to draw the fabulous to tiny, windblown Cabazon. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians had an agreement with the trendy N9NE Group to operate restaurants, a bar and a nightclub that unraveled last summer, as each side bitterly disputed terms of the 10-year lease agreement. In the federal lawsuit that followed, representatives of the N9NE Group, which runs Vegas hotspots GhostBar and Rain plus properties in Chicago and Dallas, claimed the nightlife at Morongo was performing disappointingly, and the tribe was hostile to its efforts. The tribe countered that the N9NE Group wanted out of the lease, so it abruptly terminated it. A judge eventually dismissed the suit.

Key Club, a Sunset Strip institution, took control of Morongo’s club late last year. The former dancehall was transformed into a live-music venue featuring rock stalwarts Styx in June and new wavers Berlin earlier this month; booked for the fall are Joan Jett, ‘80s luminaries Devo and Human League, as well as evenings with James Brown and Wayne Newton.

Just after midnight on a recent Friday at Key Club Morongo, a battle of the bands -- think hard-core Warped Tour hopefuls -- had just wrapped up, replaced by young women in itty-bitty skirts and platform heels grinding to the chest-thumping bass of the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps” beneath a gargantuan disco ball. The large round space, three stories high with wraparound VIP balconies, was also designed by the Jerde Partnership; the venue has been slightly modified since the N9NE Group operated it, with a raised dance floor and pyrotechnic display replaced by a stage and sophisticated sound system.

“This is the best place around here,” said Graham Knuckles, 27, a former home builder from Highland. He knocked back beers with friends in a red alligator-print VIP lounge on the Key Club’s top floor while his girlfriend shimmied on the balcony. San Bernardino’s nightlife leaves much to be desired, said Knuckles, a monthly visitor to Morongo.

Talent buyer LeBlanc believes Key Club Morongo offers a hipper atmosphere than nearby casinos, perfect for acts such as Kid Rock or Nine Inch Nails -- both of whom performed at Morongo earlier this year, and whose audiences want to rock out and nurse a drink during a show. But while the Key Club name goes a long way, LeBlanc said, it’s tough pulling radio darlings such as Gnarls Barkley into secondary markets like the Inland Empire.

“The newest bands probably take a little longer before I can throw them into Cabazon,” LeBlanc said, adding that more established acts such as 311 and Social Distortion fare better among Morongo’s younger-skewing, music-lover clientele. As it turns out, fewer than a third of Key Club performers play both the Sunset Strip and the Cabazon locations.

Clubbing large

The 800-pound gorilla on SoCal’s Indian casino circuit is Pechanga in southwest Riverside County. The casino floor alone is 188,000 square feet.

On a Friday night earlier this month, banda artist Jenni Rivera belted out Spanish-language tunes to shrieking fans in the casino’s 1,200-seat theater; across the complex, gleaming grills were in place for a home and garden expo in the massive convention center. (The space also hosts championship boxing.) Meanwhile, beats were pounding from Silk, the $14-million, 1,600-capacity nightclub with futuristic lighting designed by Visual Terrain.

Silk is decked out with five bars, gyrating go-go dancers, one of the world’s largest fiber optic chandeliers -- and plasma screen TVs over every urinal. Swaths of vivid color wash over undulating white walls and ceilings, and giant torches flicker on the spacious balcony. Rapper Flavor Flav of Public Enemy filmed an episode of his VH1 reality romance show “The Flavor of Love” at the club, and stars such as Vin Diesel and Jennifer Tilly or the odd San Diego Charger have been known to appear there.

Laura Irrobali, 24, a massage therapist from West Covina, whooped it up with her girlfriends on a Friday at the see-and-be-seen club, wearing a makeshift skirt cut from a black T-shirt because her jeans didn’t fit Silk’s strictly upscale dress code. With Beyonce bumping from the sound system, Irrobali didn’t seem to mind: “I like the design of the place,” she said, joined by a friend wearing a similarly microscopic improvised white cotton skirt. “It’s really fresh and fun.”

Pechanga has hosted acoustic sets by Jewel and Hootie & the Blowfish at Silk, plus Jerry Seinfeld and Fiona Apple in the stadium seating performance space. (Seinfeld is slated for a return appearance on Dec. 1 and 2.) The casino has seven restaurants and a food court; Native American touches are woven into the decor, including murals of the tribe’s basketry, stone waterfalls and a top-floor lounge inspired by a forest canopy. The bar in the high-limit area offers a bottle of Louis XIII cognac -- $125 a shot.

There are cozier spaces to dance the nights away too: The Eagle’s Nest rooftop bar has acoustic sets throughout the week and late-night DJs on weekends, while the Cabaret Lounge has cover bands and a small dance floor adjacent to the casino. Feeling clubbed out? Pechanga also holds regular cooking classes with accomplished chefs.

Expanded appeal

While some Indian casinos in Southern California strive for straight-up cool, others aim for mass-market appeal or are redefining themselves.

Ten miles past Pechanga, down a dark and winding wooded road over the San Diego County line, is Pala Casino Spa & Resort, a hotel-gambling hall with an atmosphere more like a mall than a nightspot. On one recent night, two cover bands, Full Effect and Hotel California, blared ‘70s hits from across the casino, occasionally drowning each other out. Baby boomers and families with young kids seemed to outnumber the under-30 set, especially when a DJ took over for the Eagles tribute band at the cabaret and started spinning “Funkytown.” A beautiful outdoor stage next to the pool hosted Ringo Starr this summer; David Lee Roth will be there Friday; and Kenny G is among the adult contemporary staples in September.

“We consider ourselves basically a middle-of-the-road type venue,” said Jerry Turk, chief executive. “We try to be non-offensive to a wide range of people.”

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio has drawn a sleepier, retirement-age clientele, except for the noisy kids’ birthday parties buzzing at the 24-lane bowling alley.

Now under new management, Fantasy Springs is overhauling its image, revamping the 12th-floor cigar-and-billiards Sunset View Lounge into a hipper dance club, adding a spa and 18-hole golf course and opening an outdoor party bar with live rock acts in the spacious courtyard.

“We want to mix up the entertainment ... to drive more energy into the room,” said Linda Powers, vice president of marketing at Fantasy Springs.

But the $200-million roadside attraction has grappled with financial woes: The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, which owns Fantasy Springs, disbanded its tribal police and fire departments last year to save money.

To Mark Krakower, shooting pool on the red-felt table in the Sunset View Lounge, Fantasy Springs’ small-time friendliness beats Morongo’s hype. “These places here seem to be a little bit more personable,” said Krakower, 46, who owns a trucking company and lives in Palm Desert. “In Vegas you feel like nobody,” said his companion, Tamar Katz, 22, of Rancho Santa Margarita, swirling an electric blue drink.

The casino is best known for its 4,000-seat events venue, which has hosted country stars Alan Jackson and Big & Rich and down-home comedy sensation Larry the Cable Guy. Soft rock crooner Michael Bolton, self-proclaimed redneck woman Gretchen Wilson and bluegrass band Alison Krauss and Union Station are appearing there this year.

Climb out of the Coachella Valley and into the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, and you’ll find a busy concert space with name talent nearly every week.

At San Manuel’s expansive Yuhaviatam Room, crossover sensation Foxx sang two weeks ago for fans who’d paid $60 to $80 a ticket. The floor of the no-frills venue, whose name means “people of the pines” in the tribe’s Serrano language, literally bounced as the crowd bopped to Foxx’s slow-burn R&B; jams.

“He’s cutting up!” said Barbara Worthy, 53, of Colton toward the end of the 90-minute set, as Foxx transitioned into a rowdier party mix. “This place is awesome,” said Worthy, a regular bingo player at San Manuel. Now she can get her bingo fix and a Grammy nominee in one spot.

Top-tier acts like Foxx draw a mix of locals and frequent gamblers plus newcomers to the foothill development; about three-quarters of the casino’s weekly shows sell out, said Steve Lengel, the casino’s executive director of operations.

San Manuel’s more intimate size appeals to some artists, as do Thursday night show times, which leave the weekend free, Lengel said. And the crowd can vary wildly, depending on whether Jeff Foxworthy or Patti LaBelle is taking the stage

The tribe has operated a casino for 20 years, but the original bingo hall sits unused across from the sprawling new complex that opened in January 2005. San Manuel, which includes a lounge and the performance space that doubles as a bingo parlor six nights a week, draws about 3 million visitors a year, primarily from the Inland Empire.

Yet even as the region’s Indian casinos keep experimenting with more elaborate musical and nightlife offerings to compete for customers who’ll drink, dance, gamble and stay overnight, some are willing to concede a key point.

As Lengel put it: “Vegas will always be Vegas.”

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Susannah Rosenblatt can be reached at susannah.rosenblatt

@latimes.com.

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Five the easy way

Pechanga Resort & Casino

45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula; (877) 711-2946, pechanga.com

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The acts (coming soon): Marquee comedians (George Lopez and Jerry Seinfeld), classic rockers

(Sammy Hagar) and Latin stars (Julio Iglesias).

The crowd:The cruising under-35 set dressed to impress at nightclub Silk, mixed with an eclectic assortment on the casino floor.

The food: You name it, they’ve got it: sports bar, steakhouse, Italian, plus pan-Asian fare and a buffet.

The decor: Native American accents, including oak tree-inspired light displays, sacred designs on the ceilings, indoor waterfalls and murals of basketry.

The bonus: Heavenly gelato shop in the food court.

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Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa

49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, (800) 252-4499, morongocasinoresort.com

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The acts (coming soon): Angry rockers, ‘80s favorites (Joan Jett, Devo) and nostalgic legends (James Brown and Wayne Newton -- Mr. Las Vegas, how could you resist?).

The crowd:Tattooed and tanned rock ‘n’ roll types hitting Key Club Morongo, plus die-hard gamblers glued to the slots.

The food:Trendy penthouse Italian bistro Cielo, and not one but two buffets.

The decor:Neo-Vegas, striving for the Palms’ modern-chic aesthetic.

The bonus: Lazy river and cool cabanas decked out with plasma TVs in the elaborate pool area.

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San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino

777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland, (800) 359-2464, sanmanuel.com

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The acts (coming soon):Grab bag of rap and R&B; heavyweights, Latin idols (Los Tigres del Norte), easy-listening staples and alternative bands (Velvet Revolver).

The crowd:Bingo regulars, local Inland Empire residents and fans of the Thursday night headliner.

The food: Casual, with a sports bar, food court and -- did we mention the buffet?

The decor: Standard-issue hotel style.

The bonus: Big-name music or comedy just about every week.

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Fantasy Springs Resort Hotel & Casino

84-245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio, (800) 827-2946, fantasyspringsresort.com

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The acts (coming soon):Eclectic soft rock acts (Michael Bolton), country luminaries (Gretchen Wilson and Alison Krauss)and Spanish-language stars.

The crowd:Retirees, vacationing families and Coachella Valley locals.

The food:Upscale steakhouse and fusion bistro plus a 24-hour cafe and, yep, a buffet.

The decor:Earth-toned desert minimalism in the hotel, restaurants and courtyard, with clamorous carpeting and chandeliers in the casino.

The bonus: 24 lanes of bowling excitement!

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Pala Casino Spa & Resort

11154 Highway 76, Pala, (877) 946-7252, www.palacasino.com

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The acts (coming soon):Lighter fare (Kenny G), baby boomer faves (Smokey Robinson).

The crowd:Tourists and families.

The food:Eight choices, with crowd favorites including Asian, Italian, a deli and -- you guessed it.

The decor: Understated.

The bonus: Beautiful outdoor concert space poolside, along with wine country next door.

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Here’s a sampling of the entertainment options at six more Indian casinos in Southern California.

Chumash Casino

3400 E. Highway 246, Santa Ynez, (805) 686-0855, chumashcasino.com.

This casino in Santa Barbara County, about 125 miles from L.A., has a day spa and three restaurants. Upcoming entertainment includes KISS on July 26 and 28, Al Green on July 27 and Hank Williams Jr. on Aug. 4. Plus, there’s “HBO After Dark” boxing July 29.

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Spa Resort Casino

401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs, (800) 258-2946, sparesortcasino.com.

This casino recently underwent a $2.3-million renovation. Its Cascade Lounge has live music (Queen Nation, a Queen tribute band, plays there Friday and Saturday) and windows that look out onto an infinity pool.

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Spotlight 29 Casino

46-200 Harrison St., Coachella, (866) 878-6729, spotlight29.com.

The casino’s Spotlight room seats about 2,200 people. Upcoming acts include country stars Wynonna Judd on Aug. 12 and Sara Evans on Sept. 2; comedians Sinbad on July 29, Richard Jeni on Aug. 26 and Drew Carey and the Improv All-Stars on Sept. 29; and singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach on Nov. 4.

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Soboba Casino

23333 Soboba Road, San Jacinto, (866) 476-2622, soboba.net.

About 90 miles east of downtown L.A. is Soboba, whose 12,000-seat outdoor arena features the likes of rockers Steely Dan on Friday and Sammy Hagar on Aug. 6, as well as country act Lone Star on Aug. 11. AC’s Lounge also has live entertainment weekly.

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Sycuan Casino

5469 Dehesa Road, El Cajon, (800) 279-2826, sycuan.com/sycuan_casino.

This casino, about 30 miles northwest of San Diego, has six restaurants, three golf courses, 11 tennis courts, a bar, pool, theater, spa and Club Sycuan. Upcoming performers: Jose Feliciano tonight, Bobby Vinton on Aug. 3 and Tanya Tucker on Aug. 10.

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Viejas Casino

5000 Willows Road, Alpine, (800) 847-6537, viejas.com.

The San Diego County casino’s outdoor Concerts in the Park series includes the Gipsy Kings on July 27-28, Al Green on July 29, the Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival with Ziggy & Stephen Marley and Sinead O’Connor on Aug. 10 (three days before their Hollywood Bowl appearance), and Randy Travis on Aug. 25.

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-- Rebecca Frantz