Arizona Gaming Guide Magazine - September 2014 - 06:09

DEPARTMENTS 04 EDITOR’S NOTE 06 PLAYERS TALK 08 GREAT GAMES 18 WINNING WAYS 21 CASINO DINING 22 ARIZONA LOTTERY 24 FEATURE STORY 26 TRIBAL NEWS 29 GAMING NEWS 34 LAUGHLIN, NEVADA 35 TRAVEL 36 CASINO ENTERTAINMENT 38 CASINO NIGHTLIFE 40 CASINO BINGO 42 FUN & GAMES 44 SAMI’S SMACKDOWN

THE SALT RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST GAMING!

46 CASINO DIRECTORY

EMPRESS OF TIME

BY BALLY TECHNOLOGIES

UPCOMING CASINO PROMOTIONS & MORE

YAVAPAI TRIBE REBRANDS THEIR RESORT

Empress of Time will transport you to a unique and mysterious world where time is money.

Writer Rodric gets the scoop an all the upcoming casino promotions in Phoenix and Tucson!

The 246-room facility re-brands and re-launches as the We-Ko-Pa Resort and Conference Center.

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

03

EDITOR’S NOTE

Your Authority On Everything Gaming VOLUME 06 • ISSUE 09 PUBLISHER Chris Höft chris@azgamingguide.com MANAGING DIRECTOR Elizabeth Torma liz@azgamingguide.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alexandra Lang editor@azgamingguide.com

Plenty Of Reasons To Play & Stay!

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has many reasons to celebrate.

When Talking Stick Resort opened, the tribe planned to encourage economic development around the building. Now they also host the Salt River Fields, several office complexes, a major shopping mall, multiple entertainment options, a visitor center, and also non-tribal companies opening stores, hotels, etc. on their land!

This issue has a sneak peek on exciting new slots by WMS, Bally, and where your soon-to-be favorites can be found across the state. Plus, gaming industry veteran Al Moe gives us the inside scoop on roulette. Staff writer Lee Allen provides us with an in-depth look at the Yavapai tribe. Writer Rodric Hurdle Bradford delivers on upcoming promotions. And, entertainment writer Ramses Ja talks about his new hot spot in Yuma. As always, we also give you the latest information on gaming news, hot deals, entertainment, bingo, and so much more!

Please visit us at: facebook .co m /ArizonaGam ingGuid e , become part of our community and share your thoughts and experiences with others who also love the same casino games you do. You can sign up for our e-newsletter and find current and back issues of AZ Gam ing Guid e on our website at azgam ingguid e.com . Let me know what you think of this issue and have fun!

Cheers!

Alexandra

Alexandra Lang Editor-in-Chief editor@azgamingguide.com

“Like” us on Facebook because

we “Like” you too!

ART DIRECTOR Melanie Mueller CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Al Moe Lee Allen Ramses Ja Cindy Lyon Cindy Esquer Amanda Riddle Samantha Becker Rodric J. Hurdle-Bradford ADVERTISING SALES Nina Consiglio nina@azgamingguide.com Elizabeth Torma liz@azgamingguide.com MAILING INFORMATION Arizona Gaming Guide P.O. Box 20636 Mesa, Arizona 85277 INTERNET INFORMATION www.azgamingguide.com www.facebook.com/ArizonaGamingGuide Copyright © 2014 The Arizona Gaming Guide.

All rights reserved.

The Arizona Gaming Guide (AGG) presents casino industry and gaming related facts as well as personal opinions and expects the reader to make his or her own decisions. All responses to reader posts, e-mails and letters are to be considered as advice only. AGG accepts no responsibility and no liability for any actions of our readers based on the articles and advertisements presented within this publication. All pictures, images, logos, trademarks and trade names, etc. are the sole property of their respective owners.

You must be 21 or older to gamble. Please play responsibly.

Help is available at 1.800.NEXT.STEP or problemgambling.az.gov.

Arizona’s State Gaming Regulatory Agency: Arizona Department of Gaming 1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 450, Phoenix, 85007 1.602.771.4263 or azgaming.gov

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Tribal Gaming Funded Problem Gambling Resource: Office of Problem Gambling 1.800.NEXT.STEP or 1.800.639.8783 1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 450, Phoenix, 85007 1.602.542.8998 or problemgambling.az.gov

PLAYERS TALK Q: Now that you told us IGT was bought by GTECH, what happens to all of my favorite games? Does this mean I can’t play Wheel of Fortune anymore? And Megabucks? I love playing Double Diamond and other reels and I’m worried because I think GTECH just makes those darn videos the women and young people play.

Are they going to get rid of them all? What am I going to play then?

James Denford—Glendale, AZ Oh James, when we read your question we immediately knew we had to answer it and print it. If you are worried about this topic, then others probably are too. And rightfully so!

When we hear of companies buying out other companies in the news, generally something does suffer. In many cases, employees are let go, divisions are shut down, products disappear, are reworked, or renamed.

While no one can ever predict what will happen after a massive buyout between two companies, there will always be change.

However, we can say with confidence that most of the games you are used to playing and having fun on at your favorite casino will remain on the casino floor long after this buyout is complete.

Why? Well, if your favorite casino still offers an “old” version of IGT’s Double Diamond or other similarly “old” game, the casino probably bought the game years ago directly from IGT. Consequently, the casino will decide what happens to that particular game.

If such a game continually breaks down and replacement parts are too expensive or are difficult to come by, the casino will probably get rid of it. Or, perhaps the game is no longer very popular with players and the casino does not generate much revenue from the game and therefore becomes a candidate for removal. IGT and now GTECH have nothing to do with that decision.

Games like Wheel of Fortune, or the Megabucks variety of games, both the video and reel slot versions are different ani-

mals completely. These types of games are generally placed on the floor on a “participation” agreement between the casino and the manufacturer (in this case IGT).

These “participation” contracts allow the casino to have a very popular game which also offers a life changing progressive jackpot as a top award. The manufacturer maintains the jackpot link which generally operates across a jurisdiction (in our case across Arizona’s casinos), is responsible for servicing and repairing the machine for the casino, pays the jackpots (the casino is not responsible for payment), and keeps a percentage of the revenue generated by the slot!

Unfortunately, the availability and operability of these games is up to the individual casinos and the manufacturer. This could mean that GTECH has IGT removing all Wheel of Fortune and Megajackpot machines from all casinos across the country.

However, this is extremely unlikely as Wheel of Fortune is probably the longest running linked slot machine game in existence, and Megajackpots is just as popular. Both products are massive money makers for IGT and the individual casinos. Furthermore, we as patrons of casinos expect to see and be able to play these games as soon as we step on the floor.

Having an opportunity to win a life changing jackpot is one of many reasons why casinos have customers to begin with, right?

In preparing for this answer, we did a little research on the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s website and looked into the gaming revenue reports concerning IGT’s Megabucks. Fortunately, the NGCB lists the game as a separate line item in their publications. Unfortunately, we don't have similar information for Arizona’s casinos as state law does not require tribes to disclose their gaming revenue. Commercial casinos in Nevada are required to report their revenues to the NGCB who, in turn, make the aggregate information public on a monthly basis.

What we found out about IGT’s Megabucks in Nevada was the following gaming revenue information: Statewide, there were 136 places to play a Megabucks slot with a total of 506 available for play. They produced approximately $5,580,000 of net win for the casinos and IGT during the month of June, 2014. The games made $16,802,000 from April

and get a $25 gift or gas card if we decide to print your question!

Do you have a question for our staff of casino gaming industry professionals and slot experts? Write us with your questions and comments in any area of gaming and we will make every attempt to publish a response in upcoming issues. Space is limited so we are unable to print every letter or e-mail we receive. Please include your name and mailing address with all correspondence. Mail to: Arizona Gaming Guide PO BOX 20636 Mesa, AZ 85277 or E-mail to: editor@azgamingguide.com.

06 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

PLAYERS TALK through June, 2014, and a whopping $60,349,000 from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014!

Remember, that’s just the money being made off Megabucks!

That doesn't include any of IGT’s many other jackpot systems like Wheel of Fortune, or a brand new game like Avatar, and so on!

Wow! What a wonderful setup! I don’t think IGT or GTECH will ever turn that pipe of money off, do you? I know if I was in charge I wouldn't. If anything, I’d be trying to figure out how to make the flow of money from Megabucks even bigger. If that product line can make over $60 million in one year perhaps something can get it to $75 million or even $100 million, but you get the idea, right?

Now, GTECH is a monstrous company with a very large presence in the international lottery markets, pull tabs, and other casino markets around the globe. What they have just done is bought one of the giant slot machine game content companies in the US casino market (possibly in the world) who also happens to have a great online/social gaming presence, runs online casinos in the United Kingdom, and has many more aspects to their business.

We believe GTECH will begin using IGT as an asset to boost their global market position in the casino gaming industry.

Also, IGT is not alone in GTECH’s portfolio as they own many gaming companies, including Spielo.

This merger will not affect any of the games your favorite casino bought outright from IGT. As we mentioned above, based on the sheer success of IGT’s “participation” product lines those games will most likely stay right where they are until other factors influence the profitability of the slots, like people not playing them.

We would be remiss not to mention the last form of sales contract that places a slot machine on a casino’s floor. We are bombarded by this style of sales contract in most of the car commercials we see, especially for the high-end and luxury brands like BMW and Lexus, the dreaded lease. That’s right, casinos lease some of the slot machines on their floor! As a matter of fact, some “high-end” slot machines (as determined by the manufacturer) can only be leased. The casino may not even have an option to buy. If you are familiar with a car lease, a slot machine lease is not much different. The casino has to pay for the use of the machine. And, just like a car lease, there are plenty of conditions the casino has to adhere to. The most important one is that the slot is not the property of the casino! Just remember that as long as IGT’s games make casinos money they won’t be leaving the casino floors anytime soon! $ azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

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GREAT GAMES

Table Games—Casino Roulette

By Al Moe

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oulette has been around for a long time, and it’s still a favorite with casino goers in states like Nevada and Atlantic City, but things are a bit different here in Arizona. Not that gamblers here don’t want to play roulette. Not at all. The problem is that it hasn’t been legalized as a table game, so while you can play blackjack and Pai Gow with a dealer, you can’t play roulette.

On the other hand, technology has truly caught up with the game of roulette and many Arizona casinos now offer roulette in their slot mixture. The game is very much like standard roulette with the same bets, the same payouts, and the same excitement, there just isn’t a dealer. Instead, a full-size roulette wheel is encased in a plastic dome and players place all of their wagers via a video screen.

For those of you that really want a dealer, well, I can’t help you, but you’ve got the chance to play the game you love with just a few minor changes. Be happy! For those of you who haven’t played roulette, listen up, here’s the scoop: it’s fun!

The roulette game offered in Arizona has 38 individually numbered pockets where the ball can land. Those numbers run from 1 to 36 with a zero and double zero. Half the numbers are red, half are black, except for zero and double zero which are green.

You can play roulette for as little as 25-cents per chip on some games, 50-cents to $1 per chip on others, so you can get a good feel for the game without going broke. Just slide your cash into

08 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

the slot! Next, make sure you choose the right denomination chips. There may be a minimum such as $2 per spin, and you’ll have a short amount of time before the ball is automatically spun into the wheel. If you don’t get your full wager down, you won’t have a bet!

You can bet individual numbers and be paid 35 to 1, or split your wager between multiple numbers. A winner on a twonumber split pays 17 to 1. Split your bet between three numbers for an 11 to 1 return, four numbers for 8 to 1, and six numbers for a 5 to 1 payoff. Make sure you know whether your original bet stays up on the next spin, or whether you have to “bet again” to get the same wager!

If you want to bet on the “outside” wagers like odd/even, red/ black, and 1st 18 (1 through 18) or 2nd 18 (19 through 36), just click on the box and your chip denomination will appear in the bet area. Each of these bets pays even money, or 1 to 1. For a 2 to 1 payoff, choose a column or a section, which covers 12 numbers (1 through 12, 13 through 24, or 25 through 36). Yes, you lose if zero or double zero comes up, but you’ll win if one of the 12 numbers in your section or column comes up, and that’ll happen often. Enjoy! $ Writer Al Moe has worked in the casino industry for many years.

He has lived and worked in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. He also attended the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an avid writer and blogger, author of “Vegas and the Mob"—available at Amazon.

He is also the proud father of four beautiful girls.

GREAT GAMES

New Slots

Gold Fish 3 First In Arizona At Hon-Dah

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bonus wheel and all-new reel interface take the player-favorite Gold Fish theme to the next level! That’s right, the player-favorite Gold Fish brand by WMS Gaming is back, and this time on their proven-performing Blad e Cabinet! Watch as the Wild seahorse fully covers a reel and not only duplicates itself but multiplies wins up to 5x, feed the fish in the feeding time bonus, feed the fish for credits, or spin the mystery wheel for one of five unique fish bonuses! Pick bubbles in the Gold Fish bonus for exciting reel enhancements, pick clams for credits in the Blue Fish bonus, watch as a respin is awarded with up to 18 Wild fish in the Red Fish bonus, pick a diver’s helmet for credits in the Green Fish bonus, or trigger the Purple Fish bonus to play any of these bonuses again!

Featuring a unique 4x3x4x3x4 interface, and all of your favorite Gold Fish characters, the Gold Fish 3 game will have players lining up for Big Fins, err, Big Wins!

Now, everyone in Arizona can have their chance to play this wildly exciting game first at Hon-Dah Casino Resort. While visiting the casino, make sure to give all their new slots a spin as they have been adding games regularly! For more info on Gold Fish 3 slots, visit youtube.com/wmsslots. $

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New Slots

GREAT GAMES

Desert Diamond & Aristocrat Launch virtual casino allowing players to play slots for free the fun never has to stop!" Aristocrat Vice President of System Sales and Marketing Kelly Shaw said, "We are thrilled to announce this major milestone in our company's history and in the industry's history. The integration between the nLive virtual casino and the property's CMS system show Aristocrat's commitment to supporting interoperability and open platforms."

Aristocrat's nLive/nLiveLink combination has begun a new era of gaming in the U.S. and have changed the meaning of the word "interoperability." nLive/nLiveLink sites have been proven to drive repeat visits in the land-based casino by allowing players to enjoy the fun, excitement and brand of their favorite casino anytime and anywhere. nLive is a comprehensive, turnkey solution that empowers casinos to take their brand to players online in a free-play environment.

While other platforms brand the online casino to the supplier, nLive empowers the casino to extend its customer experience outside of the casino walls with an incredibly large range of games.

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eading slot and systems manufacturer Aristocrat has launched an nLive virtual casino solution for Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment. This latest launch adds to Aristocrat's footprint of free play sites, which is the largest in North America. The Desert Diamond nLive site is the first for a casino using a competitive casino management system.

Players at Desert Diamond Casinos' three locations in Tucson, Sahuarita, and Why, Arizona will now have access to the new nLive free play content on the enterprise' s site, ddcazigaming.com.

The nLive free play site uses Aristocrat's exclusive nLiveLink technology allowing Desert Diamond Casinos to compare nLive data with the brick-and-mortar operation. The installation at Desert Diamond Casinos marks the first time nLiveLink will be used between Aristocrat's free play site and a competitor's inhouse system, fulfilling on Aristocrat's promise to deliver solutions properties want, the way they want them.

Treena Parvello, Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise, said "We are incredibly excited to deliver this fantastic opportunity to our guests. Desert Diamond Casinos is already Southern Arizona's entertainment leader, and now with Aristocrat's nLive our guests can experience the possibilities in a whole new way online. With fabulous games for both online and in-casino play,

nLive's play-for-fun casino offers players an incredible range of games including some of Aristocrat's favorite games like 5 Dragons, 50 Lions, Big Red, Imperial House, Miss Kitty, More Chilli, Queen of the Nile and Sun and Moon; and table games like card keno, hi lo solitaire, jacks or better, pro blackjack and roulette. nLiveLink gives casinos the power to analyze advanced reporting on both land-based and online activity and target players with customized offers. Additionally, nLiveLink empowers operators to learn about their online customer behavior and how it corresponds to land-based behavior. Signing up is easy and playing your favorite Aristocrat games is free. So, what do you have to lose? Make sure to visit ddcazigaming.com, register for an account and get started! $ azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

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New Slots

GREAT GAMES

Winner’s Choice & More New At Casino Arizona

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asino Arizona is bringing you a brand new hit from IGT, Winner’s Choice. There are exactly four of these machines each with a mystery 2 level progressive available in pennies. The slot is a new twist on classic games that players love. This exciting new game gives players the flexibility to mix and match up to four games at once. Showcasing some of IGT’s best titles: Siberian Storm , Treasures of Troy, Wolf Run, Cleopatra, Super Lotus Flower, and Dazzling Diamond Queen, the slot includes the bonus features from the original games plus a chance to be entered into the exciting Mystery Bonus. The Mystery Bonus triggers free games from of any of the six themes and a chance at a two level Progressive.

The frequency of the Mystery Bonus increases with a higher wager.

Selectable music further enhances player control of this unique game play environment.

Plus, there are six new Dragon’s Victory games, all pennies, by Konami with game themes including Solstice Celebration, Dragon's Law, and Wealth Of The Orient. And, Talking Stick Resort now has two brand new games from WMS. They are nickel versions of Beetlejuice and Willy Wonka three reel mechanical. Make sure you check out all of these great games as soon as you can!

Belle Enchanted Mirrors New at Desert Diamond Casinos

W

hether it’s a beauty or a beast, you’ll want to get engaged with WMS’ Belle Enchanted Mirrors, now available at Desert Diamond Casinos. With interactive bonus rounds, bonus guarantees, and a wager saver, players are sure to fall in love with this newest arrival.

Belle Enchanted Mirrors includes an Enchanted Mirrors Feature, triggered by the Blank Mirror on Reel 1. During this feature, the Symbol Wheel spins to determine a symbol, and all Blank Mirror symbols transform into that symbol. The Multiplier Wheel and the Respins Wheel may also randomly activate at the same time. Players start their streak by picking a Rose to reveal a credit award or by picking a Belle or Beast symbol, and then continue picking that same symbol. Wild symbols also count towards the existing streak. Don’t reveal a different character, however, because that will break the streak. The Belle Bonus ends with three broken streaks or by successfully picking all Rose symbols. Additional streaks add multipliers—and once a streak reaches 10 picks, each new pick in that streak awards a 50x multiplier!

You can be a guest at any of Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment’s three locations— Tucson, Sahuarita, or Why. For more information on the latest slots, visit ddcaz.com, call 866.DDC.WINS (866.332.9461), or follow them on Facebook (facebook.com/ddcaz) and on Twitter (@DiamondCasinos). $

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

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GREAT GAMES

New Slots Coming Soon

MAD MEN Straight From Madison Avenue To Casino Floors

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s Don Draper once said, “Success comes from standing out, not fitting in,” and that is exactly what Mad Men by WMS Gaming slots are here to do! Featuring a 42” curved LCD top box and 1080p high definition screens, the 1960s world of advertising comes to life through character-based bonuses and the memorable clips of the hit show in this innovative gaming experience.

No bonus symbols are needed to trigger the Mad Men Bonus; instead, any win over 5x will spin the top wheel for a chance at Sterling Cooper’s finest! Pick an ad for up to a 50x bet in the Don Draper Bonus; add up to 50 Wild symbols, per spin, in the Roger Sterling Bonus; or watch as oversized Joan symbols land on the reels in the Joan Holloway Free Spin Bonus. In the interest of making it simple, but significant (as Don would say), there are also multiple credit prizes to be awarded!

But that is not all—watch as up to 216 Wild symbols fall from the top screen onto the reels in the Falling Wild feature, or as up to four reel sets fall from the top screen and are showered with Falling Wild in the Falling Reels Feature. Pour yourself a cocktail, and head over to Sterling Cooper — err, now.wms.com — for more information on this exciting new slot experience! $

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New Slots Coming Soon

GREAT GAMES

Spy Vs. Spy You Are About To Meet Black Spy & White Spy

T

he creative minds at WMS Gaming are ready to unleash a classic game onto a casino floor near you! The Black and White Spies battle it out once again in this new addition to Blad e Stepper, the Spy Vs. Spy theme. The Spy Vs. Spy theme utilizes a unique battle mechanic where the game is always in one of two modes: White Spy or Black Spy. Watch as the Spies fight to land in the “versus” location, the center position of the rightmost reel, to take control of the game, and put it in either White Spy Mode or Black Spy Mode. Collect White Spies in White Spy Mode, or Black Spies in Black Spy mode, to pay and increase the meters above. Landing a Wild in “versus” location will pay and increment all top screen meters. Choose your spy in the free spin bonus and get a multiplier if your Spy wins.

Outwit the Spies and head over to now.wms.com today for more information on this and other unique gaming experiences! $

Empress Of Time A Timeless Adventure Yields Big Wins

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mpress of Time from Bally Technologies will transport you to a unique, mysterious world where time is money. This sizzling Steampunk masterpiece delivers timeless excitement with 720 ways to win and Free Games with massively exciting multipliers. Em press of Tim e is the most popular online slot game from High 5 Games. The game had the highest-grossing launch of any title on High 5 Casino, which is a top-three rated casino app on Facebook with more than 1.8 million monthly active users. Em press of Tim e also broke the site’s “Top 5” in all-time spins … in just two weeks! And now it’s coming to a casino floor near you!

In this five-reel, 720-way game, all wins are paid left to right and right to left.

When you spin for five Free Game symbols in a winning combination, it triggers eight free games with an initial multiplier of five times. During the free games, any multipliers that appear on the reels are added together. At the end of each spin, all wins are multiplied by the overall Free Games multiplier for massive payouts. The multiplier fun doesn’t end there. Multiplier symbols from two times up to 10 times can appear during both the base and free games to multiply pays for that spin. When more than one multiplier appears in a single spin, those multipliers are added together to result in one giant multiplier – up to 23 times!

The best part is that multiplier symbols do not have to be part of a winning combination to multiply the pays on a spin.

You’re in for a great time with Em press of Tim e ! For more information about Bally’s new Em press of Tim e slot, visit their website at ballytech.com. $

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

15

GIVE IT AWAY

NOW!

WINNING WAYS Phoenix and Tucson area casinos entice customers with promotional giveaways through the rest of 2014

‘Tis the Season No matter where they are located across the United States, one of the major lures casinos use to draw players is the idea that on any given day they can be a winner, from a slot machine jackpot to a multi-team parlay in sports betting.

Casinos in both major metropolitan areas in Arizona are capitalizing on this by offering a variety of seasonal promotional giveaways for the rest of the year to benefit weekday visitors, player card holders, football fans and the Halloween holiday.

“In creating promotions for our guests, our goal is for them to be fun and exciting,” says Ramon Martinez, Director of Public Relations at Casino Arizona in Talking Stick Resort. “We find that rather than simply selecting a winner, our guests prefer interactive games. Whether they spin our wheel or pick a piece off a game, it adds elements of drama and excitement to the gaming floor. We see that even if guests are not chosen, they enjoy cheering others on.”

Promotions at Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort are open to all players reward club members, and in September they will be hosting the “Jewels of the Desert” drawing each Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm. At each drawing time, five winners will have the opportunity to pick a “diamond” out of the bag.

By Rodric J. Hurdle-Bradford

mond Casino locations. All three casinos feature the football pick’em promotion, as guests who choose the most winning teams from that week’s National Football League games will win cash, free play and additional prizes.

“The season-long winners for football pick’em at our Tucson and Sahuarita locations will each receive $5,000,” says Treena Parvello, Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise. “The season-long winner at our Why location will receive $1000, a one-night hotel stay and two passes to our BIG Game VIP party.”

Also this September, guests at Desert Diamond’s Tucson location can enter their Summer Thrill & Chill drawings for cash, free play and a brand new GMC Arcadia Denali, or win prizes up to $250 on September 13 and September 27 at the Why location, which also features Friday night hot seat drawings in September with 11 winners a night receiving $25 free play.

To top it off every Thursday and Friday in September, guests can also enter drawings for a chance to win up to $600 in cash in the “Cash Blast” machine at Desert Diamond’s Tucson and Sahuarita locations, there are up to two winners per drawing.

One winner will draw a gold diamond worth a $5000 gift certificate to Jewelry by Gaither in old town Scottsdale. The remaining four winners will have the chance to win anywhere from $500 in free slot play to up to $2500 in cash.

“There is always a new and exciting drawing or giveaway available to our guests,” says Parvello. “While the specific rules for our drawings can vary, guests typically earn entries based on play with free entries available by swiping their card at a kiosk every day.

A Sizzling September September will also be fun for giveaways at all three Desert Dia-

We are also very excited about our new play-for-free website, the ddcazigaming.com, where guests can receive 10,000 bonus

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WINNING WAYS credits just for signing up and 5,000 bonus credits for logging in each day.”

Gila Giveaways The Gila River casinos may be home to the most unique promotional giveaway so far this year at an Arizona casino when they gave away an opportunity for guests to receive free healthcare throughout 2014. This promotion was conducted at their Vee Quiva casino property.

“Gila River Casinos continually strives to provide guests with relevant, fresh and entertaining, promotions,” says Melody Hudson, Public Relations Manager at Gila River Casinos. “We are often inspired by the time of year, current events and the types of giveaways that are popular with our guests.”

Although Gila River had not formally announced its September player promotions and giveaways at press time, many of their standard ongoing promotions include “hot seat” giveaways at Noon during the week when one lucky winner receives $250 in free bonus play every 30 minutes and machine table game giveaways on the weekends where winners take home a variety of prizes, including: dinner for two at Ditka’s restaurant, a one night hotel stay, a $300 electronics store gift card, a pair of tickets to a professional baseball game or $100 in chips.

Here’s to Halloween In the last decade, the holiday of Halloween has continued to

tilt more from a children’s event to a party celebration enjoyed more by adults. Arizona casinos are definitely getting into the fun by offering a wide range of activities.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays in October (excluding October 29 and October 30) at 7pm, Casino Arizona will host its Hollow– Win Spin promotion. As part of each drawing, five winners will have the opportunity to spin the prize wheel for a chance to win from $500 to $5000. As standard procedure with Casino Arizona, entries are based on a guest’s play or via the swipe and win games at their kiosks.

“We will be hosting our annual guest costume contest on October 20 at the Talking Stick Resort showroom,” says Martinez. “It will consist of four categories including: best of show, best coupler group, most creative and most scary. Participants will be competing to win their share of $10,000.”

The contest is open to all Player’s Rewards Club members and registration is open from 6pm to 8:30pm that day. Registration is capped at 150 entries so participants are strongly encouraged to arrive early. All three properties at Desert Diamond Casinos have the promotional theme of a “spooktacular” month within their “wicked winnings” promotions.

So dress up and step out to your favorite casino and hope Lady Luck smiles on you with a promotional prize at one of these great giveaways! $

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

19

CASINO DINING

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indows on the River Buffet at Aquarius Casino Resort, recently voted “Best Seafood” and “Best Casino Buffet”

by Mohave Valley Daily Newspaper’s Readers, is now offering new International Menu Specialties featuring an incredible Brazilian-style carving station.

Guests can enjoy the beautiful views of the Colorado River while savoring a variety of Asian, American, Barbecue, Italian and Mexican food stations along with the newest Brazilian-style carving station, where Aquarius chefs will carve fresh meats right off a large skewer directly onto the guest’s plate. Windows on the River Buffet will continue to offer classic favorites such as soups, potato bar, full salad bar and desserts.

Dining patrons who are 21 and older will receive two free drinks with their meal, with choice of beer, wine or margaritas.

“We continue to offer exceptional personal service and delicious, high quality and exciting food with this new Brazilianstyle carving station,” said Aquarius Casino Resort General Manager Sean Hammond. “It’s just one more reason to visit Windows on the River Buffet.”

The International Buffet featuring the Brazilian-style carving station will be available Sunday through Thursday from 4pm to 10pm. Prices are: $13.99 per person with an orange, green, and red ace|PLAY card, or $16.79 with a blue ace|PLAY card.

The Seafood Buffet is available every Friday night from 4pm to

10pm. Prices are: $19.99 per person with an orange, green, and red ace|PLAY card, or $23.98 with a blue ace|PLAY card.

Prime Rib & Crab Legs plus International Buffet is available every Saturday night from 4pm to 10pm. Prices are: $16.99 per person with an orange, green, and red ace|PLAY card, or $20.39 with a blue ace|PLAY card.

At press time the Aquarius was offering the following packages: VIP Suite Package—Two Nights in a Majestic Suite plus Dinner for Two from The Vineyard. Be Above It All. Panorama Room Special—Includes 2-for-1 food specials and other offers. Sunset Suite Special—Includes A $20 Free Slot Play Bonus. The Bed and Breakfast Room Special—Your Favorite is back! Pamper Yourself with the Spa Package—Rest, rejuvenation and a remarkable approach to relaxation are yours with the Spa at Laughlin Ranch. Dynamic Duo Package—The Cove Bar & Lounge and Duet Coffee & Wine Room Package. Best of both!

Laughlin Laugh Fest—October 3 & 4, 2014. Fun on the River Package—Book now to receive special Rocky River Adventure Tours offers. Toby Keith Shut Up and Hold On Tour—Saturday, October 18, 2014. Tim McGraw Sundown Heaven Town 2014 Tour—November 8, 2014. Plus, there are room and golf packages as well!

For more information, call 800.662.5825 or 702.298.5111 or visit AquariusCasinoResort.com and check out the Special Offers and Packages section. $ azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

21

Winners

David Pettijohn

$50,000 Bingo Bolt Winner!

$114,000 Fantasy 5 Winner!

Glenn Waldon

ARIZONA LOTTERY

D

avid Pettijohn, Glendale, purchased a Bingo Bolt instant scratch ticket at the store. He’d played the game before and had a few small wins. David scratched the ticket while he was at the store. Although he knew he had a winner, he still had the manager check the ticket. The manager gave him the claim form, but neither of them knew how much David had won.

When David arrived at the Lottery, he found out he’d won the top prize of $50,000. David told his wife he had a winning ticket, but not the amount and was going to surprise her that evening with the good news. The day before he won with Bingo Bolt, he had a “lucky day” and won $500 on another ticket. David and his wife have five grandchildren. Several of them live in Oklahoma, so the money from this win will come in handy when they want to visit them. David is also planning to take his son and daughter-in-law, who live in town and are expecting their first baby, on a shopping trip.

G

$50,000 Cash & Carry Winner!

$25,000 All Or Nothing Winner!

Tim Chlebowski Sr.

Andrew Hughes

lenn Waldon, Phoenix, took his May 31, Fantasy 5 ticket to the store to be checked. The clerk didn’t know how much Glenn had won, except it was a larger amount than the store could pay. The couple brought the ticket to the Lottery to be redeemed. Both were shocked when they were told that they had won the May 31, Fantasy 5 jackpot worth $114,000. In addition, they had some other winning lines on the same ticket worth an additional $12. Their win didn’t really register with them until they received their check. Glenn always buys from the same store and uses his wife’s selected numbers that consist of important family dates. Glenn used to have his own screen manufacturing company. They’re originally from Iowa and moved here in 1960. For many years, Glenn was a track official for local high schools. He said, “It was like a hobby for me.” The couple plays Fantasy 5 a few times a week. Glenn’s wife also loves playing instant scratch tickets.

T

A

im Chlebowski, Sr., Bullhead City, had a hunch about Cash and Carry Crossword when he saw the game in the store. He felt so strongly about his hunch, he bought three tickets and took them home to scratch. Tim couldn’t believe his eyes when one of the tickets showed that he had 10 words. To be absolutely sure he hadn’t made a mistake, and that he really had won $50,000, he took the ticket to the store to be checked. After it was scanned, the clerk gave him the paperwork he would need to complete and take to the Lottery when he redeemed his ticket.

Tim moved to Arizona from Indiana and loves our weather. He manages a canteen and considers himself to be an occasional lottery player; although he plays Pow erball once a week. In his spare time, Tim sings country western music and does about eight to ten shows a month. The money will be used to pay off Tim’s truck, and then he and his wife would like to take a vacation.

22 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

ndrew Hughes, Surprise, has been playing the new Arizona Lottery game, All or Nothing since it began. He usually buys a Quick Pick ticket for the morning and evening drawings.

This last time, Andrew only purchased an All or Nothing ticket for the June 5 evening drawing. He was relaxing at home that night when he realized it was after 10pm. He checked his ticket online and realized he didn’t have any matching numbers. Andrew checked the ticket several more times; if he was reading the ticket correctly, he had just won $25,000. Andrew said, “I hardly slept that night. I finally fell asleep about 2am.” The next morning, Andrew got up early and took the ticket to the store to be checked. When the clerk scanned the ticket, Andrew was told he had a big winner. He also enjoys playing $5 instant scratch tickets, especially Luck y Life. Andrew is thrilled with his win.

He said that the timing is perfect; he plans to use the money to pay off some bills. $

Salt River Indian Community Tells Story of Economic Development via Talking Stick

By Blessing McAnlis

F

or the Pima and Maricopa people, a calendar stick is an important piece of their culture as it tells the story of their community. Symbols are carved onto a calendar stick, also referred to as a talking stick, to commemorate significant community and area events. To honor this tradition and share the story of their tourism and economic development, the Salt River Indian Community chose to name their cultural and entertainment corridor, Talking Stick.

Located at the 101/Pima freeway and Indian Bend, just minutes from downtown Scottsdale, Talking Stick is home to seven venues, most of which share the Talking Stick name: Talking Stick Golf Club, Talking Stick Resort, the Pavilions at Talking Stick, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Courtyard Marriott Scottsdale Salt River, Butterfly Wonderland and Topgolf.

All of the entities at Talking Stick are a first for the Salt River Community, and many were a first for Arizona or Indian Country and using the Talking Stick name and image to share that story with guests is just one of the ways the Salt River Community is trying to preserve their culture.

If you are familiar with the area, you have undoubtedly seen some of the growth and development in and around Talking Stick. In case you haven’t stopped by to check it out, here’s what’s new!

Located in the Pavilions at Talking Stick shopping center, the Talking Stick Visitor Center is the hub of information for guests visiting for the first time or wanting to learn more about the culture of the Pima and Maricopa people. The Talking Stick Visitor Center is located near Home Depot and features a mini museum display on loan from the Huhugam Ki Museum, Native American art and jewelry, as well as information on the area, discount offers and Talking Stick Destination retail items. Open Thursday thru Sunday from 11am to 5pm, the center also features monthly Cultural Discovery events the last Saturday of every month, where guests can watch and interact with Native American artists while they work on their craft.

Past Cultural Discovery days at the Visitor Center included a Native American Chalk Walk where Community and regional artists came and experimented with a new type of canvas: the stone pathway along the food court of the Pavilions.

Also new to the Pavilions at Talking Stick shopping center is Octane Raceway which is located on the south side of Indian Bend Road near Hobby Lobby. Octane’s electric karts are quiet, offer a smooth ride and can go up to 45 MPH! If sitting track side is more your speed, you can enjoy a rock

wall, NASCAR pit crew experience or you can play corn hole on the new shaded patio while enjoying an amazing Arizona sunset.

The Talking Stick Destination prides itself on having ‘fore’ sight and welcomed the first Topgolf for Arizona in June. Topgolf allows golfers of all skill levels to enjoy the game in a fun, friendly and non-competitive atmosphere. They feature live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and have themed parties such as Patio-Palooza, the Beach Bash and Duck Calls and Overalls to name a few. If you love to play or have always been tempted to try the game, but didn’t know where to start, Topgolf is the best place to tee up and have fun!

Navigate to the north of Topgolf and you will be enchanted with Butterfly Wonderland, the largest butterfly atrium in North America. Popular with nature enthusiasts, photographers and families with young children this venue is a fantastic way to educate while entertaining young ones. Since their original opening, they have added The OdySea Mirror Maze and Laser Quest experience to their amenity offerings and they aren’t stopping there! Over the next few months travelers along the 101 will begin to see significant movement on the construction of the OdySea Aquarium which is scheduled to open in December of 2015. The Aquarium will be the largest in the southwest and will be highly interactive and educational. The OdySea Aquarium is phase one of a multi-phase project that will also include an IMAX theatre, retail space and multiple dining options.

Golf, baseball, shopping, dining, spa time, casino gaming, electric kart racing, butterfly atrium, and luxury hotel and resort accommodations; whether you’re visiting for a few hours or a few days, there’s a little something for everyone at Talking Stick. The Salt River Community invites you to experience their heritage of hospitality and add to your life story at Talking Stick.

Every Saturday night, classic car owners and enthusiasts gather at the Pavilions at Talking Stick shopping center for the McDonald’s Rock’n’Roll Car Show. The event features anywhere between 250 to 500 cars from classic to muscle, a live DJ and fun for the whole family. If all that walking around builds up an appetite grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants at the shopping center which includes 5 and Diner, Red Robin and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Entertainment is the name of the game at Talking Stick Resort which features Arizona’s Largest Poker room and live casino action 365 days a year. Talking Stick Resort is also home to the ever popular Release Pool Party series, weekend nightclub entertainment at degree270 and unmatched entertainment lineups that include names such as Kathleen Madigan, Jay Leno, Thunder from Down Under, and KC and The Sunshine Band.

Fall is fast approaching and that means festival season is too!

This year Salt River Fields at Talking Stick will host Octoberfest, Arizona Taco Festival, Halloween Balloon Spooktacular, Ridiculous Obstacle Race, Hot Chocolate Run and many more!

If you’re looking for a quiet place to retreat and enjoy a staycation, we’d highly recommend the Courtyard Marriott Scottsdale River which features a beautiful pool, outdoor fire pit and nightly happy hour specials. The Courtyard has also partnered with Talking Stick Golf Club to offer Stay and Play packages year round!

There is no shortage of stories to experience at Talking Stick; from browsing art collections and seeing cultural demonstrations, to spending time with family and friends creating memories that will last a lifetime. Make Talking Stick your Destination and see what everyone is talking about! To learn more about the Salt River Indian Community and the Talking Stick Destination area and events schedule, please visit their Visitor Center or website at TalkingStickArizona.com. $

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

25

TRIBAL NEWS

By Lee Allen

F

or nearly a decade, the Yavapai tribe’s Fort McDowell Resort Hotel in Scottsdale has been in partnership with the Radisson hotel chain. At the end of this month, the 246room facility will rebrand and re-launch as the We-Ko-Pa Resort and Conference Center. “It’s always been the goal to show the Nation can manage its own operations,” says resort Acting General Manager Craig Benell.

Phil Dorchester is General Manager of all tribal operations and adds, “The key to our long-term success is tribal management of all our enterprises.”

The We-Ko-Pa (“Four Peaks” in Yavapai) incorporation is intended to strengthen the synergistic relationship with the tribe’s nearby award-winning golf course operating under the same name. “A Native American name shows our independence and gives us better positioning in the hotel industry,” adds Benell.

“We chose to become an independent golf resort because it gives us flexibility to respond to guest needs as well as implement new programs, promotions, and resort enhancements. The resort is an important revenue generating enterprise for the tribe (950 enrolled members on a 40-square-mile reservation), here to bring people and dollars to the area, and at the same

26 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

time, maintain the integrity of the people, their land, culture, and spirit.”

“We-Ko-Pa resonates deeply within our community as these peaks in the scenic mountains along the Verde River have spiritually been a part of us since time immemorial and are part of our Tribal seal,” according to Ruben Balderas, President of the Fort McDowell Tribal Council. The transition goes beyond mere branding, according to the President, who once functioned as the Events Manager for Fort McDowell.

“This was a natural progression for us and we have worked strategically to make this happen. We-Ko-Pa is the largest hotel in this area and the only conference center. As an independent tribal business, we are changing the way we operate, taking over all hotel responsibilities.

“Being sovereign is a fundamental, as is being able to exercise sovereignty over our own businesses --- you cannot have one without the other. Operating businesses on our own, in our own way, allows self-determination. By developing business enterprises grounded in Yavapai tradition and culture, we foster wellbeing and happiness of our Nation’s people that, in turn, improves our business success.”

TRIBAL NEWS That aspect of tradition is longstanding. In a previous interview with the late Dr. Clinton Pattea, tribal president over a four-decade period, he said: “When we initially decided to move ahead with our resort development, we didn’t know anything about hospitality services. But our council understands the need to work together and do things correctly so everyone takes part in it and owns a piece of it --- because we all benefit from it.”

Commenting on the rationale behind the rebranding, Tribal Council Vice President Pansy Thomas noted: “The change will provide a more favorable venue for meetings and events, a goal accomplished by maintaining control of management over all our destination enterprises.”

Pam Mott, Council Treasurer viewed the independent management that comes with the rebranding as a key to not only the tribe’s tourism destination success, but the success of the Nation as well. “We are an economic engine for this area of the Valley of the Sun, employing hundreds of people, and the money earned from our enterprises goes back into the community. Changing over to an independent operation is a win-win for everyone.”

“It’s all about the branding, otherwise we’d just be another ordinary stop along the highway,” Benell said. “We have 25,000 acres and have developed quite a tourism mecca. WeKo-Pa golf course and the resort have natural synergies. Visitors, including many Europeans, come here to what Golfweek has called ‘one of the best 18-hole golf facilities in the country’, so the resort benefits from a close alignment. The course gets the visitors rounds of golf, we get their rooms, their spouses get to use spa facilities, everybody eats in the restaurant, and then gravitates to the casino.”

Out of all the happy people involved in the rebranding, no one is happier than Robert Padilla, the casino’s Acting General Manager: “If casino patrons decide they’d like to stay at the resort or schedule a round of golf, we can make it happen. Everything can now be coordinated in-house.”

The casino plays an interesting part in the history of the tribe’s varying enterprises. In May 1992, while waiting to sign a long-term operational compact with the state, FBI

agents raided the casino and attempted to seize its 350 gaming machines. Community members quickly rounded up every vehicle and piece of heavy machinery available and formed a three-week-long blockade at the casino’s access road until the gaming pact was signed and business resumed. Since then, May 12th is celebrated as a tribal holiday.

“People tend to forget that we were the first tribe to actually get into gaming,” says former councilmember Gwen Bahe. “You don’t hear much about other tribes being into gaming until we took a stand, came forth with tribal support, and pushed the initiative to have Indian gaming on a reservation. We paved the way for others to enter the field and become prosperous through gaming.”

Today the 24-hour casino offers 150,000square-feet of gaming action for first-time, casual, or experienced players. Available are some 800 gaming machines, more than 50 table and poker games, live keno and bingo.

Already honored as one of the best golf facilities in the country by industry observers, dedicated duffers should also see some benefits as the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club becomes more closely aligned with the resort.

“We’re excited about the rebranding and independence of the resort,” says the Club’s General Manager, Matt Barr. “Resort guests will now have easy access to our two courses, like the Ben Crenshaw-designed Saguaro course or the Scott Miller-designed Cholla course, and will save through new stay-andplay packages.”

The resort hotel, a 4 Diamond Triple A facility for 9 years in a row, will undergo some modernization and updates while maintaining a traditional Native American design theme in guestrooms and suites. “We’re enhancing the property with an updated spa, fitness center, carpeting and landscaping, but the tribe has taken care of this property with regular improvements,” Benell said.

Other nearby enterprises owned and operated by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation include the Eagle View Recreational Vehicle Resort and Fort McDowell Adventures.

For further information, point your browser to wekoparesort.com. $ azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

27

GAMING NEWS

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Promotes Two Rising Stars Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino has announced the promotion of Bambi Johnson to director of finance and administration.

Johnson, previously the director of finance, brings nearly 13 years of accounting experience to her new position. As the director of finance and administration, she will be overseeing three more departments including main cage, security and Total Rewards along with overseeing all aspects of finance for the casino including accounting, auditing, compliance, count team, purchasing, information technology, warehouse and planning and analysis.

Prior to joining Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, Johnson was a finance leader at Harrah's Resort Southern California, where her job duties included controller, audit supervisor, revenue manager and financial accounting manager.

“Bambi has shown great loyalty and professionalism to Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino. She continues to use her creativity and competent thinking to move us in an innovative direction,” said Robert Livingston, general manager of Harrah’s Ak-Chin. “She developed and executed our ticket and e-cash system, allowing us to go coinless, which has kept us moving forward. Her esteemed thinking will continue to lead us to enduring results.”

Johnson lives in Chandler with her husband and two daughters.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino has also announced the promotion of Michael Kintner to director of marketing and operations.

Kintner, previously the director of marketing, will now oversee six additional departments including slots, slot performance, table games, poker, Bingo and Keno, and will continue to oversee database marketing, casino marketing, advertising, special events, promotions, on-site entertainment, sales and public relations.

“Michael is always looking to foster a positive work environment for Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino. He believes in mentorship and inspiring his colleagues to reach their full potential,” said Robert Livingston, general manager of Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino. “He also believes in helping out the community in which he lives and works and his philanthropic involvement and determination has helped numerous nonprofit organizations.”

Kintner recently earned his MBA from the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management in Business Administration and Management. He has been with Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino since 2005.

Kintner lives in Chandler with his wife and two sons.

About Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino: Celebrating 20 years in Maricopa, Arizona, Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino is Arizona’s first and only tribal casino to have an international management partner. Offering the largest selection of the latest reel and video slots in a range of denominations, Harrah’s Ak-Chin features slot machines, video poker, video Keno as well as popular statewide progressives and live-action poker and Blackjack.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin is the only casino in Arizona that allows guests, through its Total Rewards program, to unlock benefits and other prizes that can be used worldwide at the entire Caesars’ family of casinos. Harrah’s Ak-Chin also boasts the only Bingo hall in the Caesars organization, continuing the proud heritage of William F. Harrah, who opened his first Bingo hall in Reno in 1937.

Casino guests can also enjoy live entertainment in the newly remodeled Lounge and a variety of dining options including the Copper Cactus Grill, Agave’s Restaurant, The Range Steakhouse, The Buffet and Dunkin Donuts®. Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino features 300 luxurious resort and tower guestrooms and an outdoor swimming pool with swim-up bar.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin has been named a Most Admired Company

by Arizona Business Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ, and Phoenix Business Journal has named the property one of the “Best Places to Work in the Valley” four consecutive years. Harrah’s Ak-Chin was also awarded a Volunteer Service Award from the Arizona Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism. For more info, visit HarrahsAkChin.com. $ azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

29

GAMING NEWS

Tohono O’odham Nation & City Of Glendale Approve Formal Agreement On West Valley Resort Project City supports major economic development project that will create new jobs and opportunity After months of diligent negotiation, the Tohono O’odham Nation and the City of Glendale have finalized an agreement ensuring that the West Valley Resort project provides significant mutual benefits to both communities for years to come.

In taking this step, the City of Glendale confirms its full support of the Nation’s project, which will include construction of a $400 million resort and casino on its West Valley property. The agreement conveys Glendale’s desire that the Nation constructs and opens the West Valley Resort as expeditiously as possible in order to create jobs and positive economic opportunity in the community.

Under the agreement, Glendale also recognizes that the Nation’s project has never been within its corporate limits or the boundaries of any other city or town. The City supports taking the entirety of the Nation’s West Valley property into federal trust as reservation land, as had been originally requested. Glendale will also withdraw from any litigation against the project.

In return, the Nation has committed to providing Glendale with annual funding in excess of $26 million during a 20 year agreement, including a one-time payment of $500,000 within the next ten days. As promised from day one, the Nation will pay for construction of the facility, as well as municipal services and all infrastructure costs in and around the project site. The Nation will then pay Glendale’s monthly standard fees and service charge rates for commercial customers. This support is in addition to the economic benefits the project will bring to Glendale and the region.

Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris, Jr. said, “This agreement marks a major step forward for the Nation, Glendale, and the entire West Valley, one that will lead to greater prosperity for all our communities. The Nation looks forward to continued partnership with Glendale as we work together to create jobs and a worldclass entertainment destination.”

In March 2014 the Glendale City Council also joined with other cities in the West Valley in opposing HR 1410, special interest legislation designed to stop the West Valley Resort and the thousands of jobs and economic development it would create.

Glendale is the fifth largest city in Arizona with more than 234,000 residents and four distinct areas: the Historic Downtown, the Sports and Entertainment District, the Arrowhead area and the Loop 303 expansion. The city is home to Luke Air Force Base, professional sports teams from the NFL, NHL and MLB and several higher education facilities. For more information visit GlendaleAZ.com. The Tohono O’odham Nation is a federally-recognized Indian tribe, with existing reservation lands in Maricopa County, Pinal County, and Pima County, Arizona. For more information, visit WestValleyOpportunity.com. $

30 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

GAMING NEWS

Scientific Games to acquire Bally Tech. for

$5.1 billion On August 1, 2014, Scientific Games Corporation (who recently bought out gaming industry leader WMS Gaming) and Bally Technologies, Inc. announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Scientific Games has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding Bally common stock for $83.30 in cash per share, which represents a 38 percent premium to Bally's closing stock price on July 31, 2014. The aggregate transaction value is approximately $5.1 billion, including the refinancing of approximately $1.8 billion of existing Bally net debt. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of the two companies.

"The acquisition of Bally provides us with a unique opportunity to combine two exceptional companies with long track records of creating leading-edge games and gaming technology products for players and delivering innovative solutions to our customers," said Gavin Isaacs, Scientific Games' President and Chief Executive Officer. "With leading gaming, lottery, and interactive content, world-class systems capabilities and table game offerings, we believe that the combined company will be uniquely positioned as a strategic partner for gaming and lottery operators, offering a highly diversified suite of valueenhancing products and services across multiple worldwide distribution channels and platforms."

"Having worked side-by-side with the talented teams at Bally and more recently Scientific Games, I am confident this combination brings together best-of-breed cultures and is occurring at a truly opportune time as both companies are committed to bringing the highest value products and services to customers," continued Mr. Isaacs. "The combined company will feature world-class research and development capabilities, an expanded base of recurring revenues and greater worldwide penetration in key geographies, including the AustralAsia region.

In addition to the strategic value of the transaction to our customers, we expect to create significant shareholder value as the transaction is expected to deliver immediate earnings and cash flow accretion and will allow us to meaningfully reduce our leverage over the next three to four years. Reflecting both organ-

izations' recent post-merger integration successes, we have identified and expect to realize $220 million in annual cost synergies and $25 million of annual capital expenditure savings by the end of the second year following the closing of the transaction."

"The combination with Scientific Games will benefit our customers and shareholders," said Richard Haddrill, Bally's Chief Executive Officer. "Increased scale, geographic diversity and product development capabilities will create a new runway of growth opportunities through new products and a comprehensive portfolio of customer-focused solutions. This transaction delivers immediate value to our shareholders, and the highest share price in our history. We look forward to working with our new colleagues at Scientific Games to execute a detailed integration plan to realize customer satisfaction and additional value."

The transaction would expand Scientific Games' portfolio of products and solutions to include leading casino management systems and table products, including automatic shufflers, proprietary table games and electronic table systems. It would also expand the range of Scientific Games' social and real-money iGaming and iLottery products and services. This expanded portfolio is expected to position Scientific Games to better crossutilize content and technology across the lottery, gaming and interactive sectors to propel future growth.

Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) is a leading developer of technology-based products and services and associated content for worldwide gaming and lottery markets. The Company's portfolio includes instant and draw-based lottery games; electronic gaming machines and game content; serverbased lottery and gaming systems; sports betting technology; loyalty and rewards programs; and social, mobile and interactive content and services. Founded in 1932, Bally Technologies (NYSE: BYI) provides the global gaming industry with innovative games, table game products, systems, mobile, and iGaming solutions that drive revenue and provide operating efficiencies for gaming operators. For more info on either company visit scientificgames.com or ballytech.com. $ azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

31

GAMING NEWS

Arizona Tribal Gaming Revenues Down Slightly The Arizona Department of Gaming announced recently that tribal contributions to the state from gaming revenue will be approximately $24.6 million for the quarter ending June 30, 2014. This is a 1.65 percent decrease from the same quarter of last year.

The Arizona Department of Gaming, in partnership with Arizona’s tribes, regulates Indian gaming. Under the Arizona TribalState Gaming Compact, tribes with casinos contribute one to eight percent of their Class III gross gaming revenue to the state, cities, towns and counties. In Arizona, Class III gaming includes slot machines, jackpot poker, blackjack, keno and off-track parimutuel betting. There are currently 23 Class III casinos in the state. Tribes send contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund every three months.

The quarterly tribal contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund will be distributed as follows: Instructional Improvement Fund/Education: Trauma and Emergency Services Fund: Arizona Department of Gaming operating costs: Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund: State Tourism Fund: Problem Gambling:

$12,282,642 $6,141,321 $2,217,973 $1,754,663 $1,754,663 $492,883

TOTAL for quarter ending June 30, 2014:

$24,644,145

So far this year, the tribal contributions total over $50 million and total more than $1 billion since their inception more than a decade ago! $

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

33

LAUGHLIN, NEVADA

Directory & Gaming Statistics

Aquarius Casino Resort 800.662.LUCK aquariuscasinoresort.com.

1,250+ slots, no smoking slot area, high limit slots area, blackjack, table games, roulette, craps, keno, race/ sports book.

Avi Resort & Casino (Fort Mojave Tribe) 800.430.0721 avicasino.com.

1,000+ slots, bingo, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, poker room, keno, race/sports book, KidsQuest.

Colorado Belle Hotel Casino 877.460.0777 coloradobelle.com.

750+ slots, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, poker room, keno, race/sports book. Build your own amazing burger at Pint’s Brewery!

Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino 800.227.3849 riversideresort.com.

1,300+ slots, no smoking slot area, high limit slots area, bingo, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, poker room, keno, race/sports book.

Edgewater Hotel Casino 800.677.4837 edgewater-casino.com.

750+ slots, no smoking slot area, high limit slots area, blackjack, table games, roulette, craps, race/sports book. Great all-around casino!

Golden Nugget Laughlin 800.237.1739 goldennugget.com/laughlin 1,000+ slots, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, poker room, sports book. Sign up for the player’s club and spin for free play!

Harrah’s Laughlin 800.447.8700 harrahslaughlin.com 900+ slots, no smoking slot area, high limit slots area, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, poker room, live keno, race/sports book.

Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall 800.634.3469 pioneerlaughlin.com 490 slots, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, sports book. Make sure to check out the video poker & reel slots!

Laughlin’s Gaming Statistics June 2014 Slots

Hold % Tables

Hold %

4.32

Pai Gow Poker

-16.78

$1

4.75

Craps

15.12

$5

4.84

Roulette

18.00

Multi-Denom 5.90

Blackjack / 21

20.29

25¢

6.23

Let It Ride

22.66

5¢

7.68

Other Table Games 24.10

1¢

10.88

Three Card Poker

Tight Megabucks

15.89

Loose $25

River Palms Resort Casino 877.787.7256 river-palms.com 550+ slots, bingo, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, sports book.

Don’t miss the view of the river from Denny’s!

Tropicana Laughlin 800.243.6846 tropicanax.com 1,000+ slots, blackjack, table games, craps, roulette, and a sports book.

Stop in for lunch at Carnegie’s or the Poolside Café and enjoy the food!

Other We are not responsible for incorrect, missing, or outdated information. To inform us of updates, please email editor@azgamingguide.com. The Nevada Gaming Control Board publishes statistics on casino gaming activity in Nevada according to their state’s gaming regulations. The most current data for Laughlin at press time is from three months prior. *A negative hold percentage indicates that game overpaid during the stated month.

34 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

Loose Sports Pools Race Books

Tight Live Keno

32.28

Hold % Win Amount

Dollars

2.88

Slots

29.9 mil.

15.78

Tables

3.1 mil.

32.26

Other

0.3 mil.

Laughlin, Nevada

TRAVEL

Event Center To Host Big Name Comedy & Music Acts

W

hat is a town to do when Comedians Dana Carvey, Chris Kattan, Tim Meadows, Larry The Cable Guy, and Country Music superstars Toby Keith and Tim McGraw all go on tour? Make sure they all perform at the Laughlin Event Center this fall of course! Here’s your chance to see all of these wonderful acts outdoors in a brand new facility in Laughlin, Nevada.

The Laughlin Laughfest On Friday, October 3rd, Laughlin welcomes veterans of Saturday Night Live, Chris Kattan, Dana Carvey and Tim Meadows for a comedy show like no other. Then, on Saturday, October 4th, Larry The Cable Guy will take the stage for an unforgettable show. Plus, when you buy a ticket, you’ll get into both shows. Now that’s a great deal when the tickets start at just $40!

But that’s not all! The Laughlin Laughfest also features the Laughlin Live Comedy Contest across the weekend. Friday and Satuday feature several events starting at 3pm each day including New Faces Comedy with Debbie Praver, Laughlin Live contest rounds 1 & 2, Wild Women of Comedy with MaryEllen Hooper, Open Mic Lightning Round, and After Hours Adults Only with Johnny Watson. Then on Sunday, enjoy performances starting at 3pm by Don Barnhart, the New Faces comedy show, and Laughlin Live contest round 3 and the finals. Buy

one ticket and you get to see all the shows across all three days!

Toby Keith—Shut Up & Hold On Tour Toby Keith rolls into Laughlin for a performance on Saturday, October 18. "I've always kind of felt like I had something to prove," he says. "It's what keeps me hungry." That hunger translates into a high-intensity live show that entertains fans on a whole new level - with bigger production and palpable passion.

Tickets start at just $20.

Tim McGraw—Sundown Heaven Town Tour Since ending his residency with Faith Hill in Las Vegas, Tim McGraw has been busy. On Saturday, November 8, he brings his latest tour to Laughlin. Tim McGraw has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and dominated the charts with 35 number one singles. His latest single, Meanw hile Back at Mama's, featuring Faith Hill, comes from his next Big Machine Records release Sundown Heaven Town, due out Sept. 16.

Many of the Laughlin casinos are offering hotel and ticket packages. Call or visit the website of your favorite one in our directory on the previous pages. As of press time, Harrah’s Laughlin was offering packages for Laughfest starting at $190, Toby Keith starting at $230, and Tim McGraw starting at $220. $

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

35

CASINO ENTERTAINMENT

Listings

Apache Gold Casino—Globe, AZ—800.272.2438 Events: Comedian Thai Rivera—Sep. 20 Los Lonely Boys—Oct. 18 Dwight Yoakam—Nov. 8 BlueWater Casino—Parker, AZ—888.243.3360 Dig Lounge: Featuring a variety of live bands, karaoke & DJs—Daily at 5pm Casino Arizona—Scottsdale, AZ—480.850.7777 The Showroom: Strange Days (The Doors Tribute)—Sep. 5-6 Tonight’s The Night (Rod Stewart Tribute)—Sep. 19-20 Fan Halen (Van Halen Tribute)—Sep. 26-27 The Arizona Room: Jordan Benson with Heartlyn Rae (Country)—Mondays 8pm Latin Fire Dance Nights (Learn to dance)—Tuesdays 6pm The AZTEX Band (Latin, R&B, Old School, Funk)—Tuesdays 8pm Country Dance Nights (Learn to dance)—Wed. & Thu. at 6pm The Tommy Ash Band (Country)—Wednesdays & Thursdays 8pm Casino Del Sol—Tucson, AZ—520.838.6506 AVA Amphitheater: Marco Antonio Solis—Sep. 13 Cliff Castle Casino—Camp Verde, AZ—800.381.7568 Stargazer Pavillion: Comedian Ron White—Sep. 27 Cocopah Resort Casino—Somerton, AZ—800.237.5687 Events: Bridget’s Gift presents Randy Houser—Oct. 4 Karaoke with Bling Bling—Th-Fr at 8pm All night DJ music in the River Room with DJ Sosa—Saturdays A variety of live music every Saturday night on the casino floor Desert Diamond Casino I—Tucson, AZ—866.332.9467 Monsoon Nightclub: The Lalas Burlesque—Oct. 31 Dance Fusion with DJ Blade—Fridays Noches Caliente—Saturdays the hottest Tex Mex and Tejano music!

Desert Diamond Casino II—Sahuarita, AZ—866.332.9467 Sports Bar: Karaoke Night—Wednesdays 7-11pm Live music or DJs—Fridays & Saturdays Diamond Center: War—Sep. 6 Thompson Square—Sep. 19 Natalie Cole—Sep. 27 Fort McDowell Casino—Fort McDowell, AZ—800.843.3678 Lucky 7 Saloon: Featuring a variety of live music every weekend Events: MEGA Yard Sale—Sep. 13

36 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

Multiple Grammy award-winner Natalie Cole will be in the Diamond Center for a special performance on Saturday, September 27, 2014. Tickets start at $45 and are on sale through Star Tickets. Tickets are also available at the casino. A ninetime Grammy-winning artist, daughter of the legendary Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra vocalist Maria Hawkins Cole, Natalie Cole has been a beloved American icon of stage and screen for forty years. An instantly recognizable voice, whose vibrant range is complemented by a distinctively warm tone and her innate gifts as a performer, Natalie Cole has earned a reputation as a platinum-selling musical artist whose appeal crosses genres and generations, her talents extended as an actress and author, her success punctuated by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Treena Parvello, Director of Public Relations and Communications, said “We’re so excited to have Natalie Cole in the Diamond Center this fall!

Be sure to get your tickets quickly, this will be an amazing night of fantastic music!”

Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino—Maricopa, AZ—480.802.5000 The Lounge: Ha mpto ns Ba nd—5th, Tonic—6th, Amazing Dueling Pianos—9th, 16th & 30th, JT Hodges—12th, The JJ’s Band—13th, The Walkens—19th, AzTex—20th, Dina Preston Band—26th, Checker’d Past—27th Wild Wednesdays Unique—3rd, J White—10th, Bandstand Shows—17th, The Sahnas Brothers—17th & 24th, The XO Band—24th Hon-Dah Casino—Pinetop, AZ—800.929.8744 Timbers Lounge and Showroom: Munday Funday—Comedy Show begins at 7pm Featuring a variety of live local talent Tuesday through Saturday Customer Appreciation Day—Sep. 6 Lone Butte Casino—Chandler, AZ—800.946.4452 Cascades Lounge: Phoenix area bands & DJs offer free live entertainment throughout the week featuring the Valley's best local bands & DJs Verona Chophouse: Talented Musicians—Saturdays 5-9pm Sunday Jazz Brunch Live—10am-3pm

Editor’s Pick Mazatzal Casino—Payson, AZ—800.777.7529 Apache Spirits Lounge: Featuring a variety of live music on the weekends.

Ladies’ Night on Thursdays with a DJ. Event Center: Ken & Brady One Man Comedy Show—Sep. 3

CASINO ENTERTAINMENT Talking Stick Resort Presents

The Tubes September 13, 2014

Paradise Casino—Yuma, AZ—888.777.4946 Sharky’s Bar & Bites: Featuring a variety of live music on the weekends Karaoke Contest—Now through Oct. 25 on Saturdays at 6pm Quechan Casino—Winterhaven, CA—877.783.2426 Sidewinders Bar & Grill: Featuring a variety of live music on the weekends Pipa Event Center: Los Tucanes—Sep. 12 Talking Stick Resort—Scottsdale, AZ—480.850.7777 The Showroom & Grand Ballroom: The Tubes—Sep. 13 Comedian Kathleen Madigan—Sep. 19 Thunder From Down Under—Sep. 25-27 Nils Lofgren—Oct. 3 Lonestar—Oct. 17 Darlene Love—Nov. 1 Gloria Trevi—Nov. 2 Twin Arrows Navajo Casino—Flagstaff, AZ—855.946.8946 Featuring a variety of local, regional & headlining acts. Call for info.

Vee Quiva Casino—Laveen, AZ—800.946.4452 VQ Live: Featuring a variety of cover bands, local & regional acts. Call for info.

Event Center: ABBAFab (ABBA Tribute)—Sep. 6 Los Lobos—Sep. 12 Native American Comedians 49 Laughs—Sep. 20 Sawyer Brown—Sep. 26 Bella Donna (Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac Tribute)—Oct. 4

Back by popular demand, The Tubes will return to Talking Stick Resort on September 13! This marks the third time these hometown favorites have played the Showroom stage. With a career spanning more than 30 years, The Tubes will have more than enough hits to thrill fans including such songs as Talk to Ya Later, TV is King and White Punks on Dope.

Since releasing their debut album in 1975, the group has gone on to open for Led Zeppelin, shared the stage with Dolly Parton and was featured in the 1980 film, Xanadu. They reached mainstream success in1983 courtesy of their top-charting single, She’s a Beauty. Fans are invited to spend Saturday evening with the rock legends and experience their live show firsthand. Tickets for The Tubes are on sale now.

For a full listing of entertainment this month and for more information, call 480.850.7777 or visit Talking Stick Resort’s website at TalkingStickResort.com. $

Wild Horse Pass Casino—Chandler, AZ—800.946.4452 AiRIA Unplugged—Live music Fri & Sat 4pm-2am Encore Lounge—Featuring a variety of live music nightly Classics With A Twist—Featuring jazz music & cocktails Thu-Sun Showroom: Comedian Paul Rodriguez—Sep. 5 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts—Sep. 19 Latin Legends Live—Oct. 3 Survivor—Oct. 4 Ramon Ayala—Oct. 17 Ziggy Marley—Oct. 31 Merle Haggard—Nov. 7 Yavapai Casino—Prescott, AZ—800.756.8744 Yavapai Cantina: Karaoke—Fr at 8pm-12am Featuring a variety of live bands on Saturdays from 7 to 10pm

Verify all details & age restrictions (generally 21 & over) for each event. Venues, times, dates, & ticket information are subject to change. Photos/images copyright of the individual artist(s), photographer(s), or venue(s). All Rights Reserved. We are not responsible for incorrect, missing, or outdated information.

azgamingguide.com | September 2014 | Arizona Gaming Guide

37

CASINO NIGHTLIFE

Ramses Ja Ready To DJ At Quechan Casino Resort

By Ramses Ja

N

ormally, you’ll find me writing about events and nightlife that is in or around the Phoenix metropolitan area. There is one very good reason for this…I live here! Add to that, that I spin in the casinos that are in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, and that my radio and shows are broadcast to this market! There is so much for me to do within 30 minutes of my house that I seldom need to go anywhere else.

Now, I occasionally make it to Tucson to spin a set, or up to Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde, but Yuma never really struck me as the place to be…until now!

Quechan Casino Resort in Yuma is known for its unparalleled number of amenities such as luxury rooms, a beautiful pool with a lazy river, room service, restaurants, slots, table games, and weekly entertainment.

Add in their new Sidewinders Nightclub that offers comfortable seating and VIP booth service and you have a recipe for a great time! Sidewinders has the largest screen in the area and a dozen large screen TVs that surround the night club with the latest music videos synchronized with the regional and internationally known DJs. The party goes down Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm. and doesn’t stop until 1:30am!

sister property Paradise Casino. Simply swipe your players rewards club card at any kiosk machine for free admission to the club. Admission without a players club card is only $10.00… which is still a great price! In addition to the complimentary admission to Sidewinders, players club members will also receive 10%, 20%, 30% or a 40% discount at any of the restaurants (the discount is based on tier level). If that’s not true appreciation, I don’t know what is!

There is no doubt that Quechan Casino Resort has gone to great lengths to ensure that this new night club will be able to compete with the best of them! I am so impressed by it that I’m hoping to spin a set or two, myself! As I mentioned, I have yet to DJ a party in Yuma…but I know it would be so much fun at Sidewinders…and I know it will be well worth the drive!

Celebrate your birthday, bachelor, bachelorette, or any other kind of party in style at Sidewinders Night Club. It is the place to see and be seen in Yuma…and that is saying a lot! To RSVP call 760.572.1999 or contact Sidewinders by email at sidewinders@playqcr.com. $

Ramses Ja Rudi King-Taylor II

•Music Director/On-Air Host (3-7pm) for For the 21 and older crowd, this new high energy night club offers state of the art laser lighting, a killer sound system, VIP bottle service, and the sexiest party people that Yuma has to offer! Their dress code ensures that the party will always be the classiest in town!

For us gamers, there is complimentary admission to Sidewinders with Quechan’s players club card which is also valid at their

38 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

KNRJ-FM 101.1 The Beat

•Resident DJ/VJ for KTVK-3TV Friday 10am •Host of R.E.D.Y. Set Radio •Official Bum Squad DJ •DJ Vatican Member •For more information on Ramses Ja, visit his website at: ramsesja.com.

CASINO BINGO DIRECTORY

Bingo At Desert Diamond Here’s why playing bingo is better at Desert Diamond! They’ve got jaw-dropping jackpots, bingo favorites, new games, and levels to buy in!

You can win up to $30,000 on their VIPickems do-it-yourself games where you can choose your own numbers. Plus, you can take part in a multitude of Progressive Jackpots.

Matinee Jubilee starts at $100 grows until won Matinee G-ball grows $100 per session - played until won Matinee Bonanza grows $100 per session - to $5,000 limit Pick 8 grows $100 - to $15,000 limit

Super Multi-win coverall in 50 or less wins $25,000 Evening Jubilee starts at $200 grows until won Evening G-ball grows $100 per session - played until won Evening Bonanza Grows $200 per session - played to $10,000 The Desert Diamond Grows $200 per session - to $30,000 Super Multi-win Coverall won in 50 or less wins $50,000 Evening Odd/Even Blackout Grows $100 on even days and one number on odd days - session played until won.

Every day there is a discount available allowing players either a percentage discount to $5 off their buy-in to free packs! And, they also offer handheld electronic packages by MaxPaks Bingo and Planet Bingo. For more info visit ddcaz.com, the bingo hall or their Rewards Center onsite. See below for session times. $

Casino

Sessions

Seats Smoke-Free Area Electronic

Apache Gold

Su, We, Th at Noon. Fr & Sa at 7pm. 1st Mo of the month at 7pm

200

No

No

No

BlueWater

Mo-We 4:30pm. Su at 11:30am.

400

Yes

Yes

No

Casino Arizona

Mo-Su at 6:30pm Daily Matinees at 12:30pm

1000

Yes

Yes

L8 Nite Bingo Fr & Sa Doors at 10pm. Games at midnight

Casino Del Sol

Daily at Noon, 1:30, 2:15, 6:30 & 7:15pm

600

Yes

Yes

Cosmic Bingo Sa at 11pm.

Cocopah

Daily at 1:30 & 6:30pm

350

Yes*

Yes

No

Desert Diamond I

We-Mo 1:30, 2, 6, 6:30 & 7pm

300

No

Yes

No

Fort McDowell

Sa & Su at 6:45am. We-Mo at 9am. Daily at 12:30 & 6:30pm.

1275

(2 sections: enclosed or in general seating)

Yes

Fr & Sa at 12:10am.

Call for Lunar Bingo schedule.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin

We-Su at 11:30am, 2:30, 3:30, and 6:30pm

470

Yes

Yes

No

Lone Butte

Sa & Su at 10am, Noon, 3:45, 5:30pm. Daily at Noon & 6:30pm.

750

Yes

Yes

B.A.D. Bingo 2 Fr at 11:30pm & B.A.D. Bingo Sa at 11:30pm.

Mazatzal

Mo-Th at Noon.

Tu & Th at 6:30pm.

280

Yes

Yes

No

Paradise

Daily at 11:30am & 1:30pm Mo-Sa at 6pm.

300

Yes

Yes

Call for Kozmic Bingo & Other Special Dates

Vee Quiva

Daily at Noon & 6:30pm.

366

Yes

Yes

Bingo Eclipse Sa at 11pm.

Yes

Late Night

Sources: Arizona Department of Gaming—Current Tribal Gaming Status as of 06/01/14 & direct inquiries by press time. We are not responsible for incorrect, missing, or outdated information.

Contact editor@azgamingguide.com to make updates. *Cocopah Resort Casino offers “Smoke-Free Sundays” which is a casino-wide non-smoking experience every week from 4am Sunday to 4am Monday.

40 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

FUN & GAMES

WORD SEARCH In honor of Elephant Appreciation Day on September 22nd, find: ASIAN, AFRICAN, BANANAS, EAR, ELEPHANT, HERD, IVORY, LUCKY, MUDBATH, ROAR, SMART, STAMPEDE, SWIM, TRUNK, TUSK, WATER, WRINKLES, ZOO. Words appear in any direction. (Solution on page 46)

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SUDOKU Each of the columns, rows, and nine 3 x 3 grids must contain all of the digits 1 - 9. None of the digits may appear more than once in each column, row, and 3 x 3 grid.

(Solution on page 46)

2

1

7

5

9

5

6

5 4

2

7

3 4

1

6

3 9

7 8

1

8 3

42 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

4

6

7

2

SAMI’S SMACKDOWN

I Can’t Stand Caveman!

What a terrible noise to play to

By Sami Becker Sami! I am going nuts with these new Game Kings. When I play video poker, I always hear this awful screech noise every few seconds. At first I thought I really was hearing things until I noticed the sound (which is like a cat being tortured) was coming from Caveman Keno. Why did the casino make the Game Kings do this when they aren’t being played?

Janine Smiley—Scottsdale, AZ Ooooooooh Janine, I know exactly what you mean! I thought the exact same thing when I first came across the noise. To me it sounds like something a sound designer didn’t use for a horror film.

What is so interesting is that no other keno game on the Game King platform (made by IGT not the casinos) has a sound active during what is called attract mode. Attract mode is active on any slot machine when there are no credits on the game and no

44 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

one has touched the game for a while. Unfortunately, if the new Game Kings were last played using Caveman Keno while in keno mode, attract mode starts playing the awful screech you mention.

Fortunately, there is a fix you can apply yourself. Just go over to the game and select the “keno” tab and select any other game aside from Caveman Keno. Attract mode won’t use Caveman!

Why IGT decided to have the awful screech on Caveman’s attract mode is beyond us. Clearly the game designers who put the Game King together don’t understand what it is like to play in a casino and have to listen to attract modes in the typically quieter video poker areas of the floor! $

Do YOU have something to rant or rave about?

Write me at: sami@azgamingguide.com

Y

Y

Y

Y Y

11300 Resort Drive

Parker

888-243-3360 527

03. Bucky’s Casino

1500 E. Hwy. 69

Prescott

800-756-8744 314

04. Casino Arizona

101 & McKellips

Scottsdale

480-850-7777 911

Y

Y

Y

Y

05. Casino Del Sol 06. Casino of the Sun

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

I-17, Exit 289

Camp Verde

800-381-7568 652

15318 S. Ave. B

Somerton

800-237-5687 512

Y

Y

Y

7350 S. Nogales Hwy.

Tucson

866-332-9467 1,089

Y

Y

Y

I-19, Exit 80

Tucson

866-332-9467 680

Hwy. 86, Milepost 55

Why

866-332-9467

Maricopa

480-802-5000 1,089

Pinetop

800-929-8744 831

1077 S. Kyrene Rd.

Chandler

800-946-4452 786

Hwy. 87, 1/4 mi. S. of Payson

Payson

450 Quechan Dr.

Yuma

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

800-777-7529 418

Y

Y

Y

Y

888-777-4946 486

Y Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

I-8, Exit 166

Winterhaven, CA 877-783-2426 1,000+ Mohave Valley 928-346-2000 247

101 & Indian Bend

Scottsdale

480-850-7777 752

I-40, Exit 219

Flagstaff

855-946-8946 1,084

6443 Komatke Ln.

Laveen

800-946-4452 950

5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd.

Chandler

800-946-4452 950

1505 E. Hwy. 69

Prescott

800-756-8744 241

24. Yavapai Casino

Y

Y

8555 Hwy. 95

22. Vee Quiva Casino

Y

Y

19. Spirit Mountain Casino

Y

Y

Y

18. Quechan Casino

21. Twin Arrows Navajo Casino

Y

Y Y

Y Y* Y

Y

Fort McDowell 800-843-3678 906

777 Hwy. 260

20. Talking Stick Resort

Y

Y

58

15406 N. Maricopa Rd.

17. Paradise Casino

Y

Y

855-765-7829 294

15. Lone Butte Casino

23. Wild Horse Pass Casino

Y

Y

855-765-7829 1,087

14. Hon-Dah Casino 16. Mazatzal Hotel & Casino

Y

Y

Tucson

Hwy. 87 & Ft. McDowell Rd.

13. Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino

Y

Tucson

10. Desert Diamond Casino II 12. Fort McDowell Casino

Y

5655 W. Valencia Rd.

08. Cocopah Resort Casino

11. Desert Diamond Casino-Why

Y

7406 S. Camino De Oeste

07. Cliff Castle Casino & Hotel 09. Desert Diamond Casino I

Y

Y

Y Y Y Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y Y

Y

Y

Y Y

Y

Y Y

Y

Y

Sources: Arizona Department of Gaming—Current Tribal Gaming Status as of 08/01/14 & direct inquiries by press time. We are not responsible for incorrect, missing, or outdated information.

Contact editor@azgamingguide.com to make updates. *Cocopah Resort Casino offers “Smoke-Free Sundays” which is a casino-wide non-smoking experience every week from 4AM Sunday to 4AM Monday

For information on the casinos & much more, scan our QR codes with your smartphone!

azgamingguide.com

facebook.com/ArizonaGamingGuide

Word Search Solution A S M A R T S T A M P Y R A E S K E H L T T K A U N B S I D K R U WM D V I

F E D E R A N C A B U L

S A

W A T E R

N I T C R N A A A N O H O T R P O R H E Z U E Y L S N R R E W K O A S I A N I M

Sudoku Solution 7

8

3

6

2

1

9

5

4

5

2

6

3

9

4

8

7

1

4

9

1

8

7

5

2

6

3

3

6

2

5

8

9

4

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7

9

1

5

2

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7

6

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8

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1

6

3

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6

5

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1

4

2

1

7

8

4

5

2

3

9

6

2

3

4

9

1

6

7

8

5

46 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2014 | azgamingguide.com

Smoke-Free Area

02. BlueWater Resort & Casino

Y

Arcade

800-272-2438 589

Spa

Globe

RV Park

Hwy. 70, 5 mi. E. of Globe

Golf

01. Apache Gold Casino Resort

Hotel

Slots

Poker Room

Phone

Table Games

City

Live Keno

Location

Bingo

Casino

High Limit Area

CASINO DIRECTORY

Y Y