Angel of the Winds Casino Partnership 2022 Recap

2022 Partnership

SUMMARY

Angel of the Winds Received 1.4 MILLION PRINT AND DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS in 2022

ANGEL OF THE WINDS RECEIVED:

• Full Page Ad Back Cover placement in the April, June, August and December issues.

• One-third page Ad in the April, June and August issues.

• Additional Full Page Ad in the December issue.

• Sponsorship of the Risk vs Reward half page feature in the April, June, August and December issues.

• One-Third page editorial included in the Foodie-Fare-ways editorial feature in the August issue.

• Short Game Full Page editorial on AOTW in the August issue.

Risk vs Reward Sponsorship

RISK vs. RE WARD

By Simon Dubiel

The Reward

The Setup

There is a reason why we host our Cascade Golfer Match Play Final Eight at Salish Cliffs — it’s full of fantastic holes with all sorts of interesting decisions to make. When you stand on the first tee, staring at the massive maple tree down the right side, your first decision is only moments away. A bunker guards the left side off the tee along with a downhill side hill lie and rough. Split the fairway and you are in that 200-240 range to a bunkerless green. Tall grass with eat up anything long or right. It’s go time. Or is it?

The Risk

Although short of the green is fine and left may get a kick off the hill, anything right or long is toast. For those playing it safe, few shots are more frustrating than pulling the reigns back and still making a big number. With the fairway bunkers in play right or left for your layup, this hole puts you to the decision.

If your opening tee ball is good, then pat yourself on the pack and strap in. It is time to start your round at one under. The approach is slightly uphill to a relatively flat green. Anything short is a simple chip and anything left (but not long) should kick towards the green. Just don’t be right — at all.

Final Call

You conquered the opening tee jitters and now can take a crack at getting home in two. I like that spot. Salish Cliffs will giveth and taketh away so you must eat while you can. Give yourself a chance to start the round with a circle on the scorecard before heading to the very short par four 2nd hole. Don’t be scared to put your chips in the middle with this hand. Time to pull a head cover. Giddyup!

RISK vs. RE WARD

Camaloch Golf Course Hole No. 14 Par 5 463 yards (Black Tees)

The Setup

By Simon Dubiel

This is one of those tee shots you think about all day, but in a good way. The slight dogleg left tee leads to the top of a hill where from the fairway you are staring down at a monstrous green, its fingers reaching out, daring you to give it a go. A total of six bunkers surround this green, some more penalizing than others. The green complex can create some very tricky pin placements and shots.

The Risk

Although it looks short on the scorecard, there have been plenty of times this hole has led to golfers muttering four letter words to themselves heading off the green.

‘With just 190 in how did I make 6?’ The answer is usually a nasty bunker shot or you got caught in the thick rough that surrounds the green. Both are worthy opponents and can produce costly third shots that quickly turn a birdie hole into a bogey.

The Reward Holes 12 and 13 are no walk in the park at Camaloch and 15 and 16 can sink your round for sure. Fourteen is where you gotta get it, and it is set up for you to do so. At 463 yards it plays downhill making this reachable for most anyone that can find the short stuff off the tee and have the nerve to go hit a golf shot worth remembering.

Final Call

If you find yourself sitting around two bills out and nothing but green grass in front of you, you are in the go zone. The downhill approach only makes it even more tempting. Middle of the green is a winner here. Then again, sticking something close always works too. As you know, two circles are better than one. Giddyup!

PRESENTED BY

By Simon Dubiel

The Reward

The Setup

This is a classic risk/reward through and through. Hitting driver off the tee on this gentle dog leg left means navigating the hazards that chokes in the right side of the fairway at 260 yards. A creek runs down the entire left side of the hole, ultimately crossing right in front of the green. Two Sequoia trees protect the front of each side of the green, while three bunkers gobble up shots left, right and long.

The Risk

There are a lot of ways to play this hole, including laying up off the tee and on your second shot. Although not long, trouble awaits you every step of the way. If you decide to get frisky, anything not struck pure with your approach can leave you in huge trouble. Short is dead and shots sprayed right or left will leave a very challenging up and down, assuming you can get a club on it.

Hit two great shots and you have something to talk about at the end of the round. This hole will give up eagles if you have the guts to make the bet. Get after it off the tee and a long iron may be all you need with your second. However, proper contact and deft accuracy is a must. Glory doesn’t go to those that lay up, however.

Final Call

If you are in the go zone you are pushed to a decision, and a tough one at that. You have been dealt 11, is it time to double down or play the safe route? Today we ease back off the pedal some and lay up to our yardage of choice. For most it’s 100 yards or less for your pitch. There is more than one way to make a birdie, we are just doing it the ole’ fashioned way.

PRESENTED BY

One-Third

SHORT GAME

hen the Angel Of The Winds Casino Resort un derwent its 18-month expansion project in 2019, it was done with the intention of increasing its clientele be yond the usual garden-variety type gamers and gamblers.

The $60 million project had its impact on the Arlington community. It opened the doors to so many more groups that had not previously been known for their patronage, such as families, children, golfers, bowlers, and zombies. You never know who you might pass on the way to the tables.

“When we did our expansion, we wanted to include a lot of other people,” said Kayla Weber, the Angel Of The Winds advertising coordinator. “We wanted to bring more people who were not necessarily coming for gambling, but families, kids. Fresh new ideas.”

The casino, in Arlington about an hour drive north of Seattle off I-5, is run by the Stillaguamish Tribe of In dians. The Tribe has ventured down that road not often traveled. The Tribesmen knew that it would be running counter to typical casino demographics. Kids and casinos are not typically linked, but the Tribe wanted a place for everyone in the area to enjoy. Fun should not be limited to one-eyed jacks and jackpots.

A good measure of the 300,000-square-foot expan sion, indeed, went to enlarging the casino floor. That pro vided more space for 275 additional slots and 15 more tables. “It’s laid out well,” Weber said. “It’s not crowded, and you also don’t have any long walks to get to areas.”

However, much of the expansion was dedicated to entertainment of different sorts, such as 8,800-square foot Rivers Run Event Center for concerts, and a 16-lane bowl ing alley called Strikerz. It was the first bowling alley built in the area in 30 years.

There are overhead flatscreens above the alleys so bowlers can keep track of scores, sports events, and other activities. They also aren’t so far away from the tables and slots that they can get a lucky strike at both ends of the floor.

A unique aspect of the bowling alley is that crowds can gather behind the lanes and in a gallery section at the end

of the alleys to watch major bowling events. Strikerz hosted the Professional Bowlers Association Tour finals June 1-5.

However, the showpiece of the complex’s entertain ment arm is a dedicated area that holds the All Things Sports virtual sports simulators. This is where you will find all the kids — of all ages. “It’s a great showcase to demonstrate what we are as a property,” Weber said. “We can show we have things that are different (from other casinos). It’s a healthy mix (of people).”

Non-gambling families can enjoy separate areas for kids’ birthday parties and social gatherings. The All Things Sports simulators are in bays in which curtains can be closed. Participants can choose from any number of games to play. Their only limitation is the number of games that have not been invented in history. The simu lator, as an example, hosts players to participate in homerun derby, field-goal kicking, QB Challenge, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, hockey, cricket, and the always popular Zombie Dodgeball

The idea of the dodgeball game is that a player throws a ball at a screen with a zombie stalking the thrower. If the ball hits any part of the zombie, that creeping creature must deactivate for five seconds. Then when they revive, stand up, re-attach their limbs, then the zombie continues his pursuit until his head or limbs are knocked off again

by the thrower.

The core game for the All Things Sports simulators is golf. Patrons hit into a wide video screen and onto a virtual golf course. Your skill at swinging the golf club will be di rectly reflected in your distance and accuracy on the virtual course. “You can play 18 holes. You can track your swing and get feedback,” Weber said. “You also can play Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, and more than 100 different courses.”

This was the third major project that the Angel Of The Winds Casino Resort has undertaken. The first was the ca sino itself, built in October 2004 on the Stillaguamish tribal land in Arlington, exit 210 off I-5. A 120-room, $27 million hotel was built adjacent to the casino in December 2014.

The 2019 also expansion included a hotel remodel.

There were many other casino related improvements involved in the 2019 expansion. They included a players’ club, keno lounge, new restaurants/bars such as, Whiskey Prime Steakhouse, Jade Fusion Asian Cuisine, Riverside Buffet, Gateway Bar Gravity Bar and a new 400-space ga rage with direct access to the casino.

Another area the casino addressed goes under the category, gamble/sports entertainment. It’s sports betting, a measure passed by the state legislature in July 2021. The U.S. Department of Interior finally approved nine Wash ington tribes to host sports betting.

It took some time for the state and casinos to set the parameters and ramp up the equipment for taking bets.

Most casinos then had to retrofit the sports betting sections somewhere on the gaming floor, as AOTW did at the end of last year. There are plenty of flatscreen TVs for patrons to follow the action and kiosks for placing bets.

Angel Of The Winds won’t be 20 years in existence for another two years yet it has had three significant projects already, as the Tribe has poured more than $100 million into the facilities. What’s next? It’s uncertain to know which trend the Tribe will pursue this time but standing in place doesn’t appear to be an option.

“We plan to keep our eyes on growth,” Weber added.

Visit AngeloftheWinds.com to book your own day away or staycation experience.

New All Things Sports simulator at Arlington’s Angel of the Winds Casino is a virtual nirvana