Last week, Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort, enterprises of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), announced the appointment of John Dinius as president and chief executive officer.
He follows Dennis Leong, who held the position for 13 years before his retirement.
“The depth and breadth of John’s experience make him the ideal CEO to take Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort to the next level,” said Bernice-Cota Gann, chairwoman of the Salt River Enterprises Gaming board of directors. “His appointment comes at an exciting time for our properties as we ready ourselves to mark many milestones in the weeks, months and years to come. Among them, a major renovation at Talking Stick Resort as well as the 25th anniversary of Casino Arizona.”
Dinius brings more than two decades of experience in gaming at casinos across California. Most recently, he served as CEO of Table Mountain Casino in Fresno. Under his leadership, the property opened a new multimillion-dollar casino-resort.
Prior to his time at the Table Mountain properties, Dinius, spent more than 20 years with Sycuan Casino Resort. There, he started as a bingo pull tabs clerk and worked his way up, holding positions at nearly every level within the casino. Those jobs included slot attendant, operations manager, slot director and more.
Eventually, Dinius was appointed general manager helping the property set an array of records and achievements. As general manager, he increased visitation at Sycuan Casino Resort and made significant innovative changes to the property such as growing the casino’s loyalty player program by increasing the amount of cash back to its highest levels. He also established the largest non-smoking gaming area, long before the pandemic led many to end smoking in casinos. Playing a key part in these large-scale initiatives and his wide-range of experience has given Dinius unique insights into the inner workings of the gaming and hospitality industries.
“I am honored to join Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort. The properties have stellar reputations within the industry and are market leaders within the state,” said Dinius. “My goal is to help each property grow and evolve, while maintaining their position as the standard bearer for gaming and hospitality. All of this with the purpose of supporting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.”
Cota-Gann thanked Leong for his years of service. “Dennis brought professionalism and elegance to Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort,” she said. “He has served our enterprise loyally, guiding us through times of hardship and great prosperity. We are grateful for his leadership and wish him all the best.”
Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort are home to 2,500 slot machines, numerous table games and keno. This year, as Casino Arizona celebrates its 25th anniversary, it recently opened a new bingo hall and taqueria.
Since opening in 2010, Talking Stick Resort has become the center of entertainment in Scottsdale. With 497 luxury guest rooms, three pools, 10 premier restaurants and lounges and the largest poker room in Arizona, it plans to enter into the second year of partnerships with the WM Phoenix Open and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Earlier this month, the resort announced a naming-rights agreement with Live Nation for its iconic outdoor venue in the west valley, now called Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre.
