The mayors of eight Arizona cities have lined up behind Governor Doug Ducey’s proposal for a new compact that would increase gaming opportunities for most of the state’s gaming tribes while explicitly restricting any new casinos in the Phoenix Valley.
The eight cities are Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Apache Junction, Fountain Hills and Litchfield Park, all within the Phoenix metro area.
Ducey has joined forces with several gaming tribes to push for the compact, which is aimed at closing off any more avenues for the Tohono O’Odham Nation, while admitting that its Desert Diamond West Valley Casino and Resort in Glendale is a fait accompli.
In their letter the mayors wrote: “We write to express our appreciation and support for your leadership in bringing many of Arizona’s tribal communities together to negotiate important and necessary changes to Arizona’s gaming compact.”
They add, “As mayors, we would like to reemphasize our support and commitment to working with you and the impacted Native American communities to find an equitable compact agreement that ultimately results in no additional gaming casinos being constructed in the Phoenix metropolitan area.”
The December 20 letter notes that on November 21 Ducey and eight tribes signed amendments to the existing 2002 compact that all tribal gaming current operates under. The tribes promised not to open any new casinos in the Phoenix area.
Arizona continues to be embroiled in a court case with the Tohonos over whether the state’s director of gaming can be forced to certify the tribe’s Class III games at its Glendale Casino, which has been open for just over a year but currently only operates Class II games.
The mayors referred to this case when they wrote: “We applaud this effort; however, express our concern as to the lack of agreement by the tribal entity party to the lawsuit of which the amendments to the compact were designed to assist in settling.”
Ducey has reportedly offered to settle the case with the Tohonos under the new proposed compact, but the tribe has declined.
