GLENDALE, Ariz. – At 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 the Tohono O’odham Nation’s new Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley near Glendale, Ariz. opened its doors to an overwhelmingly positive response from the public. Many waited hours in line for the chance to try their luck on the games.
The new casino offers 1,089 Class II gaming devices, as well as a two-venue food court, player rewards center, and parking for 1,200 vehicles. The facility is the first phase of what will eventually become a full-scale resort casino with an expanded gaming floor, hotel, retail, and other amenities.
The casino opened with Class II games after the Arizona Department of Gaming refused to work with the Nation to certify it as a Class III facility. The Nation has taken the state to court to compel it to fulfill its obligations and review the tribe’s Class III application. In recent court proceedings, attorneys for the state of Arizona have also acknowledged that the Nation has every right to operate its new Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley as a Class II property. Class II casinos fall under the jurisdiction of the National Indian Gaming Commission and tribal regulators, with no role for the state
State officials, including Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich have claimed that the tribe pledged not to build a casino near Phoenix. They also allege that the Nation misled the state and other tribes about its plans for the casino during the negotiation of the gaming compact approved by Arizona voters in 2002.
But the state’s arguments have already been rejected by the courts. In 2013, U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell found that the language of the gaming compact allowed the Nation to move forward with its casino project, noting that “written agreements matter.” There have been a total of 19 decisions by courts and federal agencies in favor of the Nation’s project since it was first announced in 2009.
Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Edward D. Manuel hailed the casino opening as “a great day” for the Nation and for Arizona.
“We are confident that this facility will be an enormous success for the region, and we are eager to keep moving forward,” Manuel said in a statement. “Obviously, once we succeed in the litigation with the state, we will work to implement Class III.”
The new casino has created more than 500 new jobs and it expected to serve as an economic engine for the region, complementing Glendale’s nearby Sports and Entertainment District. Five West Valley cities—Glendale, Peoria, Tolleson, Surprise, and El Mirage—have endorsed the project.
That tremendous level of support was evident even a day after the opening, when large crowds once again filled the new Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley to capacity.
