An economic study commissioned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community, owners of Harrah’s Ak-Chin casino in Pinal County, Arizona, estimated when the Super Bowl came to the Phoenix area in 2008, it added more than 0 million to the regional economy. More than 5 million of that amount came from Harrah’s Ak-Chin. The study by ESI Corporation was based on 2010 figures, prior to the casino adding a 152-room hotel tower in July 2011 and the Ak-Chin UltraStar Multi-tainment facility in November 2012.
Opened in December 1994, Harrah’s Ak-Chin General Manager Robert Livingston noted with a direct and indirect economic impact of $437 million annually, the tribe’s economic impact is like having the Super Bowl in town every year.
Livingston said a major component of the Ak-Chin’s success is its diversified economy. The former farming community now has a casino-hotel, entertainment center, airport and world-class golf course, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes. The casino-hotel employs 1,100 people with a $36.7 million payroll. Twenty-one employees have worked at the company since the day it opened.
Livingston said more than 80 percent of the employees participate in community service projects, compared to 25 percent at the average company across the nation. “I think the community has done a really nice job reinvesting back into the community, not just the Ak-Chin Community, but the community at-large,” Livingston said.
