Business Focus: Jerry’s Valley Casino offers gaming, full menu

Former Aces Casino owner Jerry Heggestad has returned to the Spokane Valley.

Jerry’s Valley Casino opened Dec. 18 with poker and blackjack tables and a full-service restaurant and bar at 11204 E. Sprague Ave. He and his crew spent nearly three months revamping the interior of the building that once housed the Spaghetti Station. Gambling tables, where the minimum bet is $3 and the maximum is $200, are open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m.

A noted name in Inland Northwest gambling circles, Heggestad no longer is affiliated with Aces, which used to be in Spokane Valley. As part-owner he moved it to the north Spokane area about two years ago to successfully lobby county commissioners for lower gambling taxes.

Heggestad, 58, also is a former partner in Players and Spectators in Spokane Valley, and over the years has developed quite a following.

“The name Jerry’s is not on there for vanity,” Heggestad said of his new venture. “It’s for advertisement.”

Heggestad has two business partners, co-worker Heidi Kunz and friend Ron Wolff from Nebraska, and 75 full- and part-time employees. He came to the Inland Northwest about a decade ago from Nebraska to open Aces Casino – his first card room which by state law is defined as a mini-casino. He had worked in the beef industry and as a commodities broker prior to that.

Now Heggestad enjoys socializing with customers and showing off the décor of his new establishment.

Although the legal age for gambling under state law is 18, he said he prohibits anyone under 19 at his tables. The restriction came after some high school principals expressed concern that, with the growing popularity of poker, impressionable seniors could fall behind in their studies.

For those who are welcome, Heggestad offers discounted prices on food and drinks. He talks enthusiastically about the restaurant’s menu items that range from spinach salad with smoked salmon to slow-roasted prime rib.

“To me, this is one of the best forms of entertainment in Spokane,” Heggestad said.

“Gambling is entertainment.”