Red Hawk Casino Trips Popular for South San Francisco Seniors

On Monday, about 45 senior citizens climbed aboard a luxury tour bus at 8 a.m. outside the Magnolia Center on Grand Ave. and headed to Placerville's Red Hawk Casino.

The Center, which is part of the seniors divison of South City's Parks & Recreation Department, offers a regular trip to casinos for anyone who wants to attend, and has been popular for many years.

"I go on all the trips, and my favorite part is the buffet," said South City resident and retired lithographer Dolores Martinez, 80. "My favorite game is the slot machines."

The city's senior services supervisor, Joe Hunziker, says the slots are most popular among most of the seniors who attend Magnolia's casino trips every couple of months.

"It's a good option for people to socialize and get out," he says.

Martinez only brings $200 to try her luck with, and once won back $500.

"I never come home broke," she says. "I have my limit. If I don't win what I take, I quit and take a way outside. But we also play bingo on the bus. [Monday] I won five dollars, which was more than I did at the casino."

Hunziker says it's always a popular event. "I just talked to a senior who [joked] 'it's the only way I can get away from the wife is to go gambling.'"

This fall, they are scheduled to visit Thunder Valley casino outside Sacramento.

To read about more of Magnolia Center's regular trips, click here. The Center recently brought seniors to the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco. The Center also offers volunteer opportunities, adult day care and other programs.