New Desert Diamond Casino to begin construction near Glendale
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The Tohono O'odham Nation, which operates four Desert Diamond Casinos in Arizona, including one near the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale, is preparing to begin development on a fifth, to be located near Loop 303 and Northern Parkway.
The 110-acre site has already been taken into trust by the federal government for the Tohono O'odham Nation, clearing the way for it to be used as a gaming facility, Ned Norris Jr., tribal chairman, said.
The 2021 updates to the Tribal-State Gaming Compacts allowed for additional slot machines, more table games and new casinos to be built in the state. The change was tied to a law that allowed for sports gambling, both on mobile devices and in sportsbook facilities.
Construction on the new facility will officially kick off on April 5. The new casino is planned to have 900 slot machines, table games and other amenities, Norris said. More specifics about the new casino are expected to be revealed once the project officially breaks ground.
Casino must be in the 'far West Valley'
The updated compact required the Tohono O'odham Nation to build its next casino in “the far West Valley,” a decision that came from discussions with the state and other tribes that operate gaming facilities, Norris said.
“They, and we, were concerned about potential impacts to their markets, so we agreed to take a look at locations farther to the west,” Norris said.
The tribe did a feasibility study to find potential locations for the casino site, which is near the Wildlife World Zoo, because federal law required it be an unincorporated site in Maricopa, Pima or Pinal counties, Norris said.
“We studied the area and saw the potential for growth in the West Valley, and once it met all the legal requirements to the land settlement, that was how we chose it,” Norris said.
The tribe is allowed to expand its reservation space by about 10,000 acres because of a land settlement in the 1980s, to replace land on the reservation that was destroyed by flooding when Painted Rock Dam was built.
According to a federal government memo, the land for the new casino was taken into trust on behalf of the tribe in late January.
That was the mechanism the tribe used .
Norris said the first casino near Glendale was “very controversial, not from our perspective but from other entities,” but said courts continuously reaffirmed the tribe’s ability to build the casino.
The casino was met with staunch opposition from varied groups, including the state government, other tribes and the Glendale city government, and triggered a years-long court battle. The case lasted for about five years, and the Glendale City Council in 2014 changed course and voted to support the tribe in creating the casino.
In 2021, before the compact was updated, Glendale canceled plans to annex the site into the city as part of an agreement between the city and the tribe to clear the way for the casino. The city said it would not oppose the project at that time.
Now that the facility is operating, he said worries have dissipated and the new casino has support from the city and other groups.
Other tribes that operate gambling facilities in the Phoenix area include the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Gila River Indian Community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai and the Ak-Chin Indian Community.
Several other tribes operate casinos around the state.
Gaming funds tribal services
Gaming profits fund a huge percentage of a tribe's general revenue budget, including services that a local government might fund with taxes, Norris said.
Those include social services, public safety, infrastructure and other benefits to tribal members, which help address “third-world-like conditions” on the reservation, he said.
“Gaming has such an impact on addressing these issues,” he said.
Treena Parvello, director of government and public relations for the tribe’s gaming enterprise, said the first West Valley casino has “grown to be an economic engine” for both the tribe and the surrounding area, creating jobs and generating revenue.
“We are very excited to complement the surrounding area, right next to the zoo,” Parvello said. “It’s an exciting place for us right now.”
The tribe has worked to build partnerships with the city and local organizations in other ways, she said. The former Gila River Arena in Glendale was recently renamed Desert Diamond Arena after the tribe bought the naming rights.
“Opening another facility in the region only helps to strengthen our partnerships with our neighbors,” Parvello said.
The tribe still plans to expand the amenities and facilities at the Desert Diamond facility near Westgate, which eventually will include a hotel, Parvello said.
However, for now, the focus is on beginning construction at the Loop 303 casino.
Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of Westmarc, the West Valley's economic development advocacy group, said there is pent-up demand in the area for high-quality restaurants and entertainment like a casino provides.
"The region is growing, and there is a lot of positive energy," she said.
Development along Loop 101, where the other Desert Diamond casino is located, has produced a mix of entertainment and employment projects, she said, and development along Loop 303 could do the same.
"If you look at the location, there are a lot of residents to support the new facility," Hoffman said, noting that Surprise, Goodyear, Buckeye, Avondale and Glendale are all nearby. "Residents are always clamoring for more restaurants and entertainment, beyond just gambling, like bands and the social aspect that these facilities bring."
