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VALLEY CENTER — The local Indian casino and resort industry is showing signs of strength again after several years of struggle brought on by the recession, with several of the region’s nine facilities undergoing expansion and renovation.

On Friday, Valley View Casino & Hotel in Valley Center reopened after shutting down for 11 days for a $6 million remodeling project. The work included installation of new carpeting and replacement of furniture and artwork.

Valley View Casino and Hotel reopens today after 11 days for remodel- New pool furniture at the hotel's infinity pool. — Charlie Neuman

Meanwhile, Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort, also in Valley Center, is scheduled to unveil a second hotel tower in March as part of a $160 million expansion project. The new tower will have 403 rooms, bringing the resort’s total number of rooms to 1,065 — by far the most of any Indian casino in the county.

Valley View Casino and Hotel reopens today after 11 days for remodel- New carpeting in the main casino as visitors enter near the casino's main entrance. — Charlie Neuman

In Alpine, Viejas Casino & Resort opened a 128-room hotel and 1,000-vehicle parking garage last year.

“We’ve seen this around the country,” said David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “In a lot of places, casinos had put off doing a lot of capital improvements and expanding because of the recession. And now that things might be a little bit better, they are starting to do that again.”

And last week, the Jamul Indian Village announced that it has begun construction of the $360 million Hollywood Casino Jamul. The venue is slated to have nearly 2,000 game machines, 50 gaming tables, an events center, five restaurants and a 1,900-vehicle parking structure.

The tribe has been trying to build such a facility since the 1990s, but has faced resistance from nearby residents who fear that the roads leading to the reservation can’t handle the greater traffic a casino would generate. Lawsuits seeking to stop construction are expected to be filed soon.

Back at Valley View, the decision to close on Jan. 6 for an “Extreme Casino Makeover” rather than remain open while construction lasts for six months or longer was unprecedented for casinos in the San Diego area.

Industry experts said customer loyalty is key to the casino industry. Close down, even for just 11 days, and maybe some of those patrons will go to another casino, find a new favorite slot machine and change their gambling habits.

“It was a calculated gamble,” said Valley View general manager Bruce Howard. “The reason we did it is because of our customer loyalty. Our loyalty is such that our average guest comes two or three times a month.

“So if we were going to take this building and dissect it over six or seven months, closing a section here or there, we would be inconveniencing 15 to 20 visits from that guest. One day the restroom might be closed, one day their favorite restaurant might be closed, or their section of slots. So we determined to do all 52 projects in 11 straight days, and we believe loyalty will win out and they’ll be back this weekend.”