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20-773: The company Grupo Caliente was first formed in 1916 when the early version of the Agua Caliente Racetrack was built in Tijuana. In 1998, Caliente began to diversify with the Spanish Codere Group. Bingo was introduced, then electronic game terminals, with 900 installed at the Agua Caliente Racetrack. In 2014, the Desert Sun reported that "the Agua Caliente Casino and Resort in Tijuana, founded... in 1928,

40-648: Is a California historical landmark. He created iconic circular drive-in restaurants in Southern California , including Simon's, Herbert's, and Robert's in the 1930s. McAllister's first major commission was the Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel in 1928, a resort casino and race track that presaged his work in Las Vegas . He designed restaurants and nightclubs , including Pig 'n Whistle , Mike Lyman's, Van De Kamp's, Lawry's , Bob's Big Boy , Cinegrill in

60-506: Is now the Agua Caliente neighborhood. It was designed by the prominent North American architect Wayne McAllister . Gambling and horse racing were illegal in neighboring California , as was alcohol due to Prohibition , so many wealthy Americans and Hollywood celebrities flocked to Agua Caliente. An associated racetrack opened in December 1929 at a cost of $ 2.5 million. Like the resort,

80-588: Is the exclusive operator of casinos in Tijuana and operates 23 locations in that city, some of which are frequented by visitors from the United States. The company's main branch in Tijuana, Caliente Hipódromo , contains the Agua Caliente Racetrack . The primary Caliente Casino facility in Tijuana has 340 rooms, golf games, a nightclub, and a spa, along with the casino itself and horse and dog racing. Grupo Caliente owned sport teams include: Agua Caliente Racetrack The Caliente Hipódromo , formerly named

100-595: Is thriving with customers from Southern California." In 2015, the dog racing circuit was one of 20 tracks in seven US states and Tijuana - it was the lowest ranked track on the circuit, and the only location in Mexico. At the time, it had 375 dogs, down from 1,000 at its zenith. The company has collaborated with Euro Games Technology on electronic gaming lounges at the Hipódromo de Agua Caliente, opened in 2019. In 2021, some Caliente Casino machines were closed temporarily over debt to

120-522: The Agua Caliente Racetrack and the Agua Caliente Casino and Resort , is a resort and casino that formerly included a greyhound racing and horse racing track in Tijuana , Baja California , Mexico . The racetrack opened in December 1929 at a cost of $ 2.5 million, while the adjacent Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel had opened in June 1928, later going defunct in 1935. After the racetrack underwent renovations,

140-459: The Casino Caliente casino chain , and beyond the racetrack and arena, it houses a casino with race betting, hundreds of slot machines, a restaurant and a Starbucks café. 32°30′24.25″N 116°59′43.77″W  /  32.5067361°N 116.9954917°W  / 32.5067361; -116.9954917 Wayne McAllister Wayne Douglas McAllister (November 17, 1907 – March 22, 2000)

160-963: The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , and restaurants and nightclubs at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel including the Biltmore Bowl , home to many Academy Awards ceremonies. After the El Rancho Vegas, McAllister created the original plans for other hotels in Las Vegas, including El Cortez , Desert Inn , Sands Hotel , and the Fremont Hotel and Casino . His partner William Wagner created Binion's Horseshoe in 1961. His obituary in The New York Times reported that he moved to Washington, D.C. to work for Marriott in 1956, becoming

180-657: The 4-9'er. Some racetrackers called it the Big Six. In 1939 Anna Lee Aldred received her professional license from the Agua Caliente Racetrack, becoming the first U.S. woman to receive a jockey's license. Other riders as Esteban Medina, Aureliano Noguez, Humberto Enriquez, Francisco Mena, Antonio Castanon, Dionicio Navarro and David Flores graced the jockeys' quarters throughout the days of horse racing. Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode his first winner at Caliente in 1932. Trainers such as L. W. Jenner, L. J. Brooks, Wayne Spurling, Juan Garcia, and Roberto Mengaña and El Raton Aviles were among

200-484: The Agua Caliente Casino and Resort its current name "Hipódromo de Agua Caliente", or Caliente Hipódromo. The Estadio Caliente stadium was built in the grounds and opened in 2007. According to The New York Times, prior to 2007, "the site of Estadio Caliente was a muddy pit surrounded by a defunct racetrack and populated by hippos and alligators, part of a private zoo owned by the millionaire Jorge Hank Rhon" through his family company Grupo Caliente in 2007, he also founded

220-871: The Caribbean." Business divisions of Grupo Caliente include Caliente Casino, Globalsat , Caliente Estadio , and Caliente Online. Related companies listed on the website included ViajesPetra, Hotel Pueblo Amigo, Colegio Aleman, Caliente Club Canofilo, Caliente Jockey Club, Pueblo Amigo Shopping Center, Colegio Alemán Cuauhtémoc Hank , Pueblo Amigo, and the International Zoological Park. As of April 2020 its website listed 45 casino locations in Baja California state (23 in Tijuana , also in Rosarito , Tecate , Mexicali and Ensenada ), Nogales, Sonora , Morelia, Michoacán and Greater Mexico City . Caliente Casino

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240-510: The Mexican border was popular among Americans, particularly Hollywood celebrities, because drinking, gambling and horse racing were still illegal in most of the neighboring U.S. states. The first manager of the track was Tommy Gorman , who had previously been involved in ice hockey . Although President Lázaro Cárdenas outlawed gambling in 1935 and closed the resort and casino, the Agua Caliente Racetrack continued to operate for many years. It

260-629: The city council in Ensenada . As of 2022, owner of Casino Caliente was Jorge Alberto Hank Rhon , and it was the "biggest sports betting company in Mexico." The company still operated Caliente Stadium in Tijuana with 13,333 seats at its opening. A one-time mayor of Tijuana, in January 2021, he started a campaign for governor of Baja California. At that time, Grupo Caliente owned around 200 "off-track betting and bookmaking outlets throughout Mexico, Austria, Brazil, Equador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and

280-502: The complex added the Estadio Caliente sports and concert stadium in 2007. Caliente Hipódromo is currently the largest branch of the Casino Caliente casino chain , and beyond the racetrack and arena, it houses a casino with race betting, hundreds of slot machines, a restaurant and a Starbucks café. The vast and spectacular Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel opened in June 22, 1928 outside Tijuana , Baja California , Mexico , in what

300-430: The leading trainers every year. The original grandstand structure was destroyed by fire in 1971, and while rebuilt as operational, was just a shadow of its opulent beginnings. The racetrack ceased hosting horse racing after 1992, instead only presenting greyhound races until July 14, 2024 when greyhound racing permanently ended at the track. The resort is currently owned by millionaire politician Jorge Hank who gave

320-468: The racetrack was designed by Wayne McAllister and built by wealthy Americans Baron Long, a Los Angeles nightclub owner, Wirt Bowman , owner of the Tijuana gambling establishment The Foreign Club, and James Coffroth, a member of the local Tijuana horse racing establishment. Some sources note the fourth partner was Abelardo L. Rodríguez , Military Commander and Governor of Baja California , and future President of Mexico . The lavish resort and racetrack on

340-478: The soccer team Club Tijuana to play at the Caliente Estadio, with the casino and dog-racing track on the next lot. The zoo moved to an adjacent lot. By 2009, the stadium was still under construction and at reduced capacity, as it still was in 2017. By 2017, the stadium had 27,000 seats and was at 90 percent capacity for the winter season. The resort was renovated in the 2010s. In 2015, the dog racing circuit

360-632: Was a Los Angeles -based architect who was a leader in the Googie style of architecture that embraced the automobile and the Space Age . Inspired by tail fins and gleaming chrome, he elevated the drive-in restaurant and the theme hotel to futuristic works of art. His 1941 El Rancho Vegas was the very first resort hotel on the Las Vegas Strip , and his iconic 1949 Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, California

380-409: Was one of 20 tracks in seven US states and Tijuana - it was the lowest ranked track on the circuit, and the only location in Mexico. At the time, it had 375 dogs, down from 1,000 at its zenith. Along with the casino itself and dog racing, the property has 340 rooms, golf games, a nightclub, and a spa. Also on the property is the Estadio Caliente . Caliente Hipódromo is currently the largest branch of

400-628: Was the site of several industry firsts, including starting gates, caliente safety helmets, the first track to have a track announcer and "pick six" wagering. Both Phar Lap and Seabiscuit ran and won the Agua Caliente Handicap , which for a time was the richest in North America. The race track is the originator of the Pick 6 (on the North American continent), then known as the 5-10 and later on

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