Arizona’s Gila River Indian Community has announced that it will open its fourth casino south of Chandler on trust land, a development made possible by a renegotiated gaming compact with Governor Doug Ducey.
The Gila River currently operates the Wild Horse Pass and Lone Butte casinos in Chandler and Vee Quiva casino in Laveen. The tribe expects to open the new property within two years. The reservation spans almost 600 square miles.
Beside allowing more tribal casinos, the updated compact also authorized sports betting for tribes and sports franchises.
The $100 million casino, which may include a hotel, will offer new games that are also allowed under the new compacts, including craps and roulette. Construction was approved June 18 by the tribe’s Community Council.
Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis said in a statement: “Adding a fourth casino will bring additional revenue, security, and critical services to community members. In addition, we anticipate being able to add hundreds of new jobs that community members can take advantage of, and we expect that many of those will be filled by community members.”
