49er Casino definitely needed a makeover with some kind of hook to appeal to players. I tried promoting it a few times, and had little success. I think the Yosemite Sam idea is a good one, with one caveat.
I would be concerned that using a cartoon character might be perceived as marketing gambling to kids. I don’t know how you would defend against that criticism, but hopefully you can find a way to address it. Certainly, the branding idea is a strong one.