What locals are saying about Elk Grove’s Sky River Casino

Now open for three days, Elk Grove’s Sky River Casino in Elk Grove is taking local social media by storm.

The casino located on Elk Grove’s southside took everyone by surprise when it opened well ahead of its state September schedule. Of course, the Wilton Rancheria and Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming laid clues out last week when they offered tours to several area politicians like Sacramento County Sheriff-elect Jim Cooper and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen.

Response on social media has been overwhelmingly positive based on social media comments. Most people expressed joy for the opening of the first casino in Sacramento County seen in these Instagram posts.

Not surprising, there were many comments on the traffic created by the early opening. The traffic was so heavy the Elk Grove Police issued an advisory that patrons would be turned away with the parking lots at capacity.

Overflow traffic made its way to nearby neighborhoods based on these comments on Elk Grove PD’s Facebook page.

This person noted the casino is located near the proposed zoo. Without mentioning it specifically, the Whitelock Parkway interchange is needed to relieve traffic, as noted by this comment.

Another person on Instagram reviewed one of the numerous high-end restaurants in Sky River. The days of shrimp cocktails and inexpensive prime ribs dinners are memories of a bygone era.

Expanding on the gaming experience, as noted in the restaurant review above, here a couple comments from early patrons.

And for people hoping for a family-friendly venue, keep in mind this is a casino!

Social wouldn’t be social media without squabbles between users. The opening of Sky River was no exception to this rule.

Notwithstanding traffic jams and opening hiccups, Sky River will make a boat load of money for Boyd Gaming shareholders and members of the Wilton Rancheria. As for costs, time tell if the casino becomes a 24-hour a-day liability for Elk Grove taxpayers.