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FEATURE STORY
COVER STORY—Arizona’s New Gaming Compact
A New Compact!
W h a t’s T h e B i g D e a l ?
The big deal about Arizona’s new Tribal-State Gaming Compact is more than just a few slots, chips, table games, sports & event betting, and dollars. According to our sources, the new compact is the result of four to five years of good-faith negotiations between the Governor’s office and Arizona’s Native American Tribes. Both parties have worked diligently to modernize an almost two decades old agreement and prepare Arizona to remain competitive with other gaming jurisdictions around the country and the world moving forward.
Class III Gaming Devices [slot machines, etc.], blackjack, jackpot poker (incl. promotional award & house banked), keno, lottery, off-track pari-mutuel wagering, pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing, baccarat, roulette, craps, sic bo, pai gow, dealer controlled electronic table games, event wagering, fantasy sports contests, & more...
Interested? You Should Be!
Here are just a few (what we consider to be major) changes to the scope of gaming here in Arizona now that the compact has been released to the public.
1. “Far West Facility means the Gaming Facility that the Tohono O’Odham Nation is authorized to operate on the Far West Valley Trust Land.”
Hmm… The Tohono O’Odham Nation (owns and operates four casinos: Desert Diamond Casino—West Valley, Tucson, Sahuarita, and Why) can build a fifth casino North of Northern Avenue, West of Reems Road and South of Waddell road once the federal government settles a land trust agreement. Basically, there will be a new casino out by Luke Air Force Base. Soon.
2. “Lower Highway 89 Gaming Facility means a Gaming Facility that is authorized to be operated by Navajo Nation on land west of Highway 89 between mile marker 421 and mile marker 423, which may be acquired in trust by the United States…”
So, the Navajo Nation can put a new casino just North of Flagstaff to add to the four they already own and operate on their lands across several states. Soon.
3. “Pascua Yaqui Third Facility means the third Gaming Facility allocated to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe under the 2021 Compact, to be located in an area South of West Grant Road, East of Interstate 10, North of West Calle Adelanto, and West of North 15th Avenue in the City of Tucson, Arizona, when such land is acquired in trust…”
Essentially, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe (which owns and operates Casino del Sol & Casino of the Sun in Tucson) can expand a community center into a casino just North of downtown Tucson off of I-10. Soon.
Well, there are a lot of additional points to cover, more than we have room for right now. Stay tuned for more! For more information about the new Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compact, visit the Arizona Department of Gaming’s website at Gaming.AZ.gov. $
Editor’s Note: Quotes appearing in this article were taken directly from the file “Amended and Restated Compact—EXEMPLAR COPY.pdf” released at the end of April 2021 and available on the Arizona Department of Gaming’s website (above).
