GAMING NEWS

Caesars Rewards® At Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Receives Freddie Awards For Loyalty Program

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, Arizona’s first and only tribal casino to have an international management partner, recently announced that parent company Caesars Entertainment received two Freddie Awards for "Best Customer Service" and "Best Promotion" in the Americas region for its loyalty program, Caesars Rewards®, at the 31st annual Freddie Awards ceremony in New Orleans in April. The Freddie Awards are voted on by millions of frequent flyers and reward program members to honor excellence in the travel loyalty industry.

Harrah's Ak-Chin is the only casino in Arizona that allows guests, through its Caesars Rewards program, to unlock benefits and other prizes that can be used worldwide at the entire Caesars' family of casinos. Caesars Rewards members have access to exclusive benefits and member rates at all Caesars Rewards destinations, invitation-only events, and once-in-alifetime experiences thanks to an extensive collection of sports, entertainment, celebrity chef, and travel partnerships.

“Our loyal customers regularly tell us that the Caesars Rewards program is one of the best in the state,” said Samantha Gulick, Director of Marketing of Harrah’s Ak-Chin. “They can earn rewards here at Harrah’s Ak-Chin and use those benefits at any Caesars property. Receiving this national recognition is proof that our customers know how much we value them.”

Caesars Rewards members can earn and redeem credits on gaming, hospitality, entertainment, nightlife, dining and shopping at more than 50 destinations and through the Caesars Sportsbook app across the U.S. With more than 65 million members, it is the largest loyalty program in the gaming industry and has continuously been recognized by members and the industry as one of the best customer loyalty programs at the Global Gaming Awards, the Freddie Awards and in the USA Today Readers' Choice Awards.

The annual Freddie Awards first launched in 1988 to give frequent flyers and travelers the opportunity to recognize the world's best airlines, hotel loyalty programs and loyalty credit cards. Today, with millions of ballots cast annually, they have become the most prestigious member-generated awards in the travel loyalty industry.

For information about Caesars Rewards as well as more on the advantages Caesars Rewards membership can bring and how to join, please visit Caesars.com/MyRewards.

For nearly 30 years in Maricopa, Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino has been Arizona's first and only tribal casino to have an international management partner. Harrah's Ak-Chin is the only casino in Arizona that allows guests, through its Caesars 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 one of the two Bingo halls within the Caesars portfolio, continuing the proud heritage of William F. Harrah, who opened his first Bingo hall in Reno in 1937.

In addition to Craps, Baccarat, sports betting, slot machines, video poker, video Keno, statewide progressives and Blackjack, Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino guests can also enjoy a variety of dining options, including the Copper Cactus Grill, Chop, Block & Brew, Oak & Fork, Agave's Restaurant and Dunkin'®.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino features 529 luxurious resort and tower guestrooms, spa and fitness center, 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 Best Companies AZ, and Phoenix Business Journal has named the property one of the “Best Places to Work in the Valley” four consecutive years. Visit HarrahsAkChin.com for more info. $

Arizona Diamondbacks And Casino Arizona & Talking Stick Resort Announce Exciting New Partnership

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Casino Arizona, an enterprise owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), just announced a new partnership naming the popular casino and its sister property, Talking Stick Resort, as the Official Casino and Resort Partner for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The new agreement will include visible signage and exclusive VIP experiences for casino and resort guests.

"I am thrilled to welcome Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort to our family," said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. "The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has long been a valued partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and I look forward to growing our relationship with Casino Arizona, creating memorable experiences for their guests at Chase Field and impacting members of their community."

As part of the partnership, the logos of Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort will be featured on signage throughout the ballpark, including unique field insignias in front of the home and visiting dugouts. The Arizona Diamondbacks will also open a one-of-a-kind VIP lounge behind the visiting dugout for Casino Arizona and their guests to enjoy during games. Additionally, this partnership enhanced the team's annual Native American Inter-Tribal Baseball and Softball Tournament (Wednesday, May 25 through Sunday, May 29, 2022) and Native American Recognition Day (Sunday, May 29, 2022).

This announcement builds on more than a decade of a celebrated partnership at Salt River Fields (SRF), home of the first Major League Baseball facility to be built on Native American land. Since SRF opened in 2011, the facility holds the top 9 alltime attendance records in the history of MLB Spring Training, has brought infrastructure and investment to the area and is the site for the very moving USS Arizona Memorial Gardens, located at the stadium's Home Plate entrance.

"We are always looking for like-minded organizations with which to align our Enterprise," said Ramon Martinez, Director of Public Relations for Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort. "Over the course of our lengthy relationship with the Arizona Diamondbacks, they have demonstrated a true commitment to their fans and the greater community. We are excited for Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort to grow with a partner who shares our values."

For decades, the D-backs and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation (Foundation) have been committed to investing in and supporting the Arizona Native American Community with over $3,000,000 in charitable contributions to the community over nearly half a century. In 1999, the Foundation established the Native American Inter-Tribal Baseball and Softball Tournament, which has made it possible for 20,000 youth and young adults as well as 1,200 Inter-Tribal teams to participate in the friendly but competitive event. Continuing their commitment to quality tournaments and fields for the community, together with the Colorado Rockies, the D-backs refurbished Lehi Field, with an additional SRPMIC field planned in the coming year.

This expanding relationship was a natural progression for both organizations who share a common focus on engaging entertainment, premium events, unmatched guest experiences and meaningful commitments to the community. For more information visit CasinoArizona.com or TalkingStickResort.com. $

Casino Del Sol’s June Promotions

PROMOTIONS

$125,000 Home with Sol Giveaway—Club Sol Members can join now through July 2nd for a chance to win some new home upgrades, valued up to $85,000! Selected winners on Saturdays at 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. have a chance to win up to $250 in free play and qualify for the Grand Finale.

Six Pack Sundays—Earn up to three sixpacks of beer or soda. Earn 150 points for each sixpack between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Sunshine Club—On Mondays, members 50 years and up can receive exclusive dining offers. Drawings throughout the day.

Wine Wednesdays—Earn up to ten bottles of wine & get a bonus bottle! Earn 150 points for every bottle, noon to 10 p.m.

Play & Get Thursdays—Earn 200 points for the gift of the week between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Free Stuff Fridays—Earn 75 points and get a prize between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

BLACKJACK

Who’s My Lucky Dealer Hot Seat—Club Sol Members playing at any Table Game (at Casino Del Sol only) with an open and active rating will be eligible to win $100 in casino chips and $100 in FreeBet chips. Beginning June 6th from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with recurring times every 2 hours. Dates: June 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th & 28th. Times: 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.

Blackout dates may vary. Visit Club Sol for details. For more information visit CasinoDelSol.com. $

Gila River Resorts & Casinos Guests Donate Nearly $174,000 To Valley Nonprofits

Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiva, select four nonprofits every year to be the beneficiary of the Everi Cares Kiosk donation program. Over the last year, Gila River guests donated $173,751.52 to four local nonprofits. Everi Cares is a charitable giving application programmed into the kiosks on the casino floors that provide guests the opportunity to donate to nonprofits from their winning ticket vouchers. This year’s recipients and how much money each nonprofit received included:

Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona: $33,360.26

This charity uses art as a therapeutic tool to help and heal abused and homeless children.

Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation: $43,540.03

This charity funds activities to help children learn a new skill, play a new sport, meet a new friend and have the childhood they deserve.

Special Olympics Arizona: $46,488.53

Their goal is to empower the over 180,000 Arizonans with intellectual disabilities to be healthy, productive, and respected members of society through their year-round sports training, competitions and support programs.

Homeless Youth Connection: $50,362.70

Their mission is to eliminate barriers to graduation for homeless youth and create lasting solutions for a successful future through community support and increased awareness.

Gila River Resorts & Casinos was the first gaming enterprise in Arizona to launch this unique charitable giving application in October 2019. This month, four new nonprofits were added to the Kiosk program, including Eve’s Place, Florence Crittenton, Gabriel’s Angels, and Not My Kid. For more information visit PlayAtGila.com. $

Lucky Guest Hits $744,340 Progressive Jackpot At Desert Diamond Casino West Valley

A very lucky guest at Desert Diamond Casino West Valley struck it rich after winning a $744,340 multigame progressive jackpot on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The guest, Joseph R., was playing Three Card Poker when he landed a royal flush that won the massive jackpot. Three Card Poker is the highestwinning, most popular specialty game of all time. This exciting stud poker game offers three ways to play and four ways to win, in addition to head-to-head play against the dealer and a bonus that combines high hit frequency with attainable top payouts. The game is licensed to casinos by Shuffle Master, which is owned by SG Gaming.

Joseph joins the growing number of Desert Diamond Casino Winner’s Circle members who have taken home spectacular wins. Just two months prior, another lucky West Valley guest won a half million dollar jackpot playing Pai Gow Poker. Desert Diamond Casino West Valley’s table games offerings include poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, and baccarat. The property also features over 1,400 of the hottest slot machines plus fine dining at the Nineteen 86 Steakhouse.

Treena Parvello, Director of Government and Public Relations, said, “Congratulations to our newest Winner’s Circle member, Joseph R.! We love celebrating when our guests win big! There’s always more to experience at Desert Diamond Casinos, from great food to exciting games and the best service for our guests to enjoy.”

Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment, with three locations in Southern Arizona (Tucson, Sahuarita, and Why) and one in the West Valley in Glendale, AZ, is owned and operated by the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, an enterprise of the Tohono O’odham Nation. For info visit DDCAZ.com. $

Arizona’s Sports Betting Revenues Down Slightly

Sports betting revenues were recently released for February 2022 by the Arizona Department of Gaming. “Arizona’s more than 12% decline in handle during February follows a national trend and shouldn’t be a warning sign. The state’s market should rebound nicely,” said BetArizona.com’s Analyst Christopher Boan. Arizona sports betting’s February handle was $491.6 million, down 12.8% from January’s state record figure of $563.6 million. It was slightly down from December’s handle of $499 million.

Arizona’s February handle was sixth place nationally behind New York ($1.5 billion), New Jersey ($985.5 million), Nevada ($780.7 million), Illinois ($679.3 million) and Pennsylvania ($597 million). Colorado ($440.5 million), Michigan ($423.7 million), Indiana ($409.1 million) and Virginia ($401.8 million) were the other four states nationally above $400 million in handle in February. Handle drops in the 20% range were common across the country in February.

The taxes taken in were $670,685, the second lowest monthly total since betting launched (Arizona took in just $31,393 in taxes in September). The state took in $1.749 million in January and $1.7 million in December. The biggest tax month since sports betting launched was November, when $3.1 million was earned for the state. Arizona has taken in nearly $9 million in taxes for the first five-plus months sports betting has been legal. Operators gave out $17.5 million in free bets and promotional credits in February. Operators get a tax break on the free bets and promotional credits they offer during the first five years of sports betting in Arizona. That tax break is up to 20% of their gross wagers for the first two years. $