Glendale Indian casino will offer full gambling, alcohol after settlement reached
May 17, 2017, 11:11 AM | Updated: 2:45 pm
(Unsplash Photo)
(Unsplash Photo)
PHOENIX — The state of Arizona and a southern Arizona tribe said a lawsuit settlement will allow the tribe to operate full-fledged Indian gambling and sell alcohol at its casino in a Phoenix suburb.
But under the agreement, the tribe will be barred from opening more gambling operations in metropolitan Phoenix.
“This agreement is a major victory for Arizona, one that ensures that there are meaningful restrictions on additional casinos in the greater Phoenix metro area,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a press release Wednesday.
Under the agreement, the casino will be able to sell drinks and offer Las Vegas-style games such as blackjack and slot machines, among others. Certain games — craps, roulette and baccarat — are not allowed in Arizona.
“The nation is eager to continue with its West Valley investment to create thousands of new jobs, positive economic development, and a world-class casino resort that all of Arizona can be proud of,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Edward D. Manuel said.
The agreement between the state and the Tohono O’odham Nation ends a yearslong federal court battle over the tribe’s Desert Diamond Casino near Northern and 91st avenues in Glendale.
This agreement will last for the remainder of the term of the Nation’s current tribal-state gaming compact plus the term of any successor compact or, if there is no successor compact, for 15 years after this agreement becomes effective.
The tribe opened the facility in 2015 but the Ducey administration denied it a license to operate full-fledged gambling. The casino instead had bingo-style slots and no card tables, and no state license to serve alcohol.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
