Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians plays a major hand in sponsorships and experience of BNP Paribas Open

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (KESQ) --Spotlight 29 Casino, which is owned and operated by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, is playing a huge role in the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

This year, the Tribe was a major sponsor, and recently expanded its sponsorship to include an activation area and a volunteer tent.The activation area, which was toward the front of the tournament grounds, gives attendees the chance to escape the sun, play various games, and try the casino’s award winning beers.

For the first time ever, the Tribe also sponsored an air-conditioned tent and outdoor lounge for the more than one-thousand volunteers who work the tournament. In addition to the tent, Spotlight 29 also covered the cost of the volunteer uniforms and daily meals.
George Nicholas, the tribal chief administrative officer, says taking on these BNP sponsorships is just one of the many ways the Tribe gives back to the Coachella Valley community.

“The volunteer tent is something that our chairman and Tribe like to do with our community," said Nicholas. "All of our tournament sponsorships all focus on the Tribe's main sponsorship for our volunteers. Without these volunteers these tournaments can’t happen. Our sponsorship for the BNP this year includes a big volunteer casual tent area, where they can sit and relax between all the shifts and hours they put in, in addition to uniforms that they wear and lunches we provide and gifts and things we try to do because without them we don’t have a tournament.”

In 2025, Spotlight 29 also partnered with the BNP to craft the tournament’s official cocktail. The green and yellow cocktail is called the ‘Drop Shot,’ features pineapple garnishes to look like tennis balls. According to Nicholas, the drink was created similarly to the US Open's 'Honey Deuce', and is meant to represent the BNP Paribas Open. It also gives attendees a little taste of the desert.

“It’s a combination of what the tournament and the tribe together developed," said Nicholas. "The idea was to create a great souvenir cup with a tequila base. Not a Gray Goose base like the East Coast, because were on the west coast."

Fans can also be part of giving back, because every ‘Drop Shot’ purchase this year, will help to fund Spotlight 29’s sponsorship next year.