On Tuesday, October 27 the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation of Arizona closed their Ford McDowell Casino and the next day opened the new We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort.
Their previous casino had opened in 1984 as the first tribal casino in the state. It stayed in the same buildings all those years.
The new casino offers 900 slots, table games, bingo, dining, event venues and a 246-room AAA Four Diamond hotel. The facility is 100 percent smoke free. It offers poker and blackjack. The bingo hall can accommodate 770.
The tribe has invested heavily in making the facility Covid-safe protocols, such as taking the temperatures of all guests, requiring masks for all, social distancing and ubiquitous sanitation stations.
The resort boast six dining venues, including the Ember, a high-end eatery with a wine cell of 500 bottles for all price ranges. Others are the WKP Sports Bar, which includes a stage, the Market, which offers quick serve items and the Daubs, which offers snacks in the bingo hall. There is also a buffet that will open in November. Ahnala Mesquite Room will serve American-style comfort food.
