Workers are touching up the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino, which the Tohono O’odham Tribal Nation plans to open on December 20 near Glendale, Arizona.
It will open with 1,089 slot machines.
Days away from opening its doors, a spokesman for the casino, Treena Parvello, declared, “It’s days away, and we’re so excited and we can’t wait to welcome people to our new home.”
The casino has been the center of controversy for several years, during which time the tribe successfully fended off 19 lawsuits, although it is still defending itself in two others.
Despite the controversy, polls show that most people in the state support its opening. A survey conducted by Moore Information Inc. showed that 22 percent opposed the casino and 58 percent supported it. Twenty percent had no opinion. The numbers are similar in Maricopa County, where the casino has been built.
The same poll showed that 74 percent oppose the “Keep the Promise Act” (HR 308) in Congress that would prevent the casino from opening. Only 19 percent are in favor of it.
Because the legality of its operating Class III slot machines is the subject of current litigation the casino will open with Class II machines, which does not require the approval of the state government.
Opponents who continue the battle include the state government, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community, which both operate casinos in the area.
