We-Ko-Pa Resort Casino opens doors, replaces Fort McDowell Casino

PHOENIX — The new We-Ko-Pa Resort Casino announced on Monday that it has officially opened its doors.

We-Ko-Pa Resort Casino opened on Oct. 29 and is located on the northwest corner of State Route 87 and Fort McDowell Road.

The 166,341-square-foot casino replaces the original Fort McDowell Casino that was originally opened in 1984 as a bingo hall.

We-Ko-Pa Resort Casino is also connected to the existing 246-room hotel that includes spa treatments, two resort-style outdoor pools and 25,000 square feet of meeting space.

The casino features a full service of slot machines, tables, bingo and gaming amenities in addition to dining establishments, event venues and Native American design elements.

Gaming options include 850 slots, 22 blackjack tables, a five-table poker room and a 400-seat smoke-free bing hall with 50-inch monitors.

And when it comes to food, a multitude of options are available that range from a more casual sports bar with live entertainment and gaming activities to more upscale fine dining that serves steak and seafood that is prepared over wood-fired grills.

We-Ko-Pa Resort Casino also offers private dining areas, patios, a piano lounge and several other bars.

All gaming areas, hotel rooms, dining establishments, entertainment venues and public spaces are 100% smoke-free.

However, four outdoor areas will be designated to allow for smoking.

We-Ko-Pa Resort Casino will also enforce all required COVID-19 protocols such as taking guests’ temperatures, requiring masks or facial coverings, providing sanitation stations, encouraging social distancing, and limiting elevator and outlet usage.

“We’re proud that we were Arizona’s first casino and are now the state’s newest casino,” said Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation president Bernadine Burnette said in a press release.

“Gaming has been a part of our tribal community for the past three decades and has allowed us to provide financial security for our members and employees. Our upscale new casino will allow us to take gaming to an entirely new level while keeping a Native American look and feel — with design elements of earth, water, fire and basket-weaving that are so important to our culture.”

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