The Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon is getting a makeover and a 30% expansion to its gaming floor.

The 65,000-square-foot expansion will enlarge the gaming floor to add 800 slot machines. It will include new bar and lounge areas and a dedicated nonsmoking space. In the existing casino building, the first floor is getting fresh paint, carpet, lighting and other interior features and restaurants are being replaced.

The expansion will create 425 new full-time jobs, adding to the 2,500 jobs already provided by the casino, according to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

The tribe expects the expansion will add to the $3 billion in regional economic activity that the Morongo casino already generates.

"The tribe is the real economic driver in the pass area," said Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin. "That's exciting to me. I really like that, that we're able to provide those types of jobs."

Martin said that many locals had to commute to San Bernadino, Riverside or the Palm Springs area for work before the casino opened.

"A lot of our people live in the area and work at the casino," he said. "That's satisfying to be able to do that. And they're good paying jobs."

The expansion and renovation project is expected to be complete by mid-2020. Martin said the tribe's long-term plan is to develop the entire area around the casino with restaurants, tribal offices and, possibly, a small hotel. He said the tribe is in negotiations to bring in several restaurants, but that there was "nothing firm" at the time.

Martin said that since it's a good time for the U.S. economy, the casino has been "packed" on the weekends.

"We have a lot of loyal customers that come from the desert to Orange County, Inland Empire and even beyond that," he said.

Simon Farmer, executive director of marketing, said the casino brings in about 1.5 million unique visitors per year.

Another element of the expansion is the addition of a 754-space parking structure for free valet service, with more than 70 "premier parking" spaces for electric vehicles. The goal is a wait time of four minutes or less for all customers to have their vehicles returned to them, Farmer said.

Tribal leaders and dignitaries broke ground on the renovation and expansion project in January. At the time, the chairman said the tribe had "come a long way from the tiny bingo hall we operated on the reservation back in the 1980s."

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In addition to gaming and dining, the 27-story Morongo Casino Resort & Spa features AAA Four-Diamond accommodations, a spa, a lazy river and venues that have hosted major entertainers such as Beyonce, Kiss and Jay Leno. The casino is off Interstate 10 near the Cabazon Outlets.

Piecemeal renovations are underway on the first floor of the casino, with new restaurants and cafes already open, including Pink Coffee, a Parisian-style cafe, and Good Times Cafe, a 24-hour sports bar and restaurant. A new Asian fusion restaurant is under construction and expected to open Oct. 1.

The new restaurants were designed by Kenneth Ussenko, who also designed the casino's drum room, a gathering space on the 26th floor.

The tribe decided to refurbish and reopen its much smaller Casino Morongo while the expansion and renovation project was underway. Mike Fisher, a spokesman for the tribe, said Casino Morongo has proven to be extremely popular with guests and tribe plans to evaluate keeping it open after the expansion is finished.

The casino features a 400-seat bingo hall, slot machines, video poker, and the 24-hour Pit Stop Diner.

Risa Johnson covers Native American affairs in the Coachella Valley and beyond. She can be reached at risa.johnson@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4737. Follow her on Twitter @risamjohnson