The iconic San Diego Sports Arena in the heart of the Midway District will again bear the name of a corporate sponsor. The popular sports and entertainment venue was renamed the Valley View Casino Center on Oct. 12 after an official thumbs-up from the San Diego City Council. The revelation was made by representatives of the North County casino/hotel and AEG Global Partnerships, which negotiated the multi-year accord. The business pact is slated to take effect Nov. 1. City documents pegged the deal at $1.5 million for the first five years, equating to about $157,000 for the city. “We are thrilled to partner with the longstanding tradition of top-quality sports and entertainment that the San Diego Sports Arena has established throughout its legendary existence,” said Bruce Howard, general manager at Valley View Casino & Hotel. “We look forward to working closely with the city of San Diego, the Hahn family and AEG — the most recognizable name in the sports and entertainment industry — to grow both the Valley View Casino Center and Valley View Casino & Hotel brand.” Valley View Casino & Hotel officials tout marketing gains both in San Diego and Southern California as a whole, in preparation for the opening of a new hotel addition Nov. 19. Valley View officials said they will now be able to provide casino guests with premium tickets for sports arena events throughout the year. To modernize the 44-year-old, 15,000-seat facility and to keep pace with the expanding venue market in San Diego, the arena recently underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation which included the addition of a new 6,500-square-foot VIP hospitality space called “Club 3500,” along with new lower-level seats, LCD televisions throughout and an upgraded concourse and arena entrances. “This is a great partnership for the Arena and Valley View Casino & Hotel, San Diego’s favorite casino,” said AEG Facilities’ Ernie W. Hahn II, senior vice president and general manager of the venue. “With Valley View Casino & Hotel as our partner, we will continue to raise the entertainment experience and number of shows while still being the busiest and most centrally-located arena in San Diego. We are excited to have such a great marketing partner to showcase our recent improvements and help make us better moving forward.” The Valley View Casino Center is located at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. For more information, call (619) 224-4171.