Casinos offer cash, cars
Summer may be winding down, but tournaments and promotions at Northern California casinos are kicking into high gear with car giveaways and cash drawings for casinos’ rewards club members. Here are some of the most appealing contests: Graton Resort & Casino: In Rohnert Park about 45 miles north of San Francisco, Graton is giving away two Nissan 370Z roadsters — one on Aug. 25, the other on Sept. 29. The Roads to Riches promo also includes cash giveaways for Graton Rewards Club members. Drawings start at 5 p.m. both nights and are every two hours until 11 p.m. Earn entries by accumulating points at table games or slots.
Graton is also offering Beat the Heat slot tournaments on Thursdays from 5 to 10 p.m. through September for up to $30,000 in prizes, with a top prize of up to $10,000. Rewards Club members get one free entry in each tournament. Go to www.gratonresortcasino.com. Thunder Valley: Thunder Valley, in Lincoln east of Sacramento, is giving Thunder Rewards members a chance to win an E-class Mercedes throughout August. Every Friday and Saturday night, seven winners will be drawn. Six of them get $1,000, the seventh gets a chance to play a match game and win up to $20,000 or the Mercedes. For details: https://thundervalley resort.com. Cache Creek Casino Resort: This casino in Brooks, 20 miles west of Woodland, has a Summer of Luck celebration every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 4. The big drawing, for $24,500, is at 7 p.m. each night, with $1,000 giveaways every hour from noon to midnight. Cache Club members get one free entry and can earn more by playing slots or table games. Details at www.cachecreek.com. River Rock Casino: In Geyserville about 75 miles north of San Francisco, River Rock Casino has free bingo on the third Wednesday of every month with prizes up to $200. A blackjack tournament on Aug. 25 has a $25 buy-in and a top prize of $1,000. Club members can use 250 points to get a meal at the buffet from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays. For more information: www.riverrock casino.com. Casino M8trix: This San Jose casino has no-limit Hold’em poker tournaments starting at 5 p.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. Buyins range from $160 to $300, with prizes that vary based on the number of entrants. Top prize is typically in the range of $3,000 to $5,000. Details at www.casinom8trix.com. Bay 101 Casino: Also in San Jose, the Bay 101 Casino has no-limit Hold’em tournaments daily, with buy-ins ranging from $125 to $550. San Jose casinos are prohibited from offering giveaways that casinos in other locations can offer, a Bay 101 spokesman said.