Arizona’s legislature is in the process of weighing up proposals for a brand-new land-based casino to be built in Tucson. Although the southern Arizona city is already home to three brick-and-mortar casinos, a Native American tribe, known as the “Pascua Yaqui” tribe, is keen to launch a new, fourth establishment in the city. Since 1988, it has been legal for Native American tribes to run casinos on their own land, and Arizona as a state has adopted a more liberal stance towards gambling than most other states. You can find the top ten casinos operational in Arizona today by looking at the most recent public voting.
However, at the present time, iGaming is still prohibited by law for Arizonans. With the state not yet prepared to jeopardize its land-based casino industry by accepting the use of casino and mobile poker apps to play online. Aside from several Native American tribes operating land-based casinos in Arizona, some of the biggest commercial casino operators have also found a home here, namely Caesars Entertainment.
A plan to regenerate Ward 3 in Tucson
Now, the Pascua Yaqui tribe are working in close liaison with Tucson’s city officials to launch a new casino a stone’s throw from Interstate 10. The casino will be constructed wholly on tribal property, with the proposed 14.38-acre casino to be managed solely by the Pascua Yaqui tribe. The construction plans don’t just focus on providing casino services to locals. A new hotel and retail center are also proposed to create jobs and drive the local economy forward. Meanwhile a housing development is also part of the plans to regenerate the area near West Grant Road.
Albert Elias, Assistant City Manager, confirmed that the Pascua Yaqui tribe was seeking swift approval on plans for the new casino, but that the city’s leaders were keen to learn more about the proposals and its potential impact on the community. Mr Elias spoke encouragingly about the development, stating that “from a land-use point of view” it was a “great location” and a “valuable piece of real estate”.
Preliminary plans given the go-ahead by the City Council
Elias and his fellow members of the Tucson City Council approved preliminary plans for the proposed hotel and casino, with an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) obtained earlier this month. However, the tribe still need to gain the approval of Tucson City Council members in the ward of the proposed development. Council member Paul Durham, warned that both sides were still some way apart from reaching an agreement. However, Mr Durham added that the land was currently “significantly underutilized” despite its “prime location”, and he was keen to “work with the Tribe” to settle its future.
Within the IGA, there are official stipulations for how legalized gaming will take place on the trust land. The tribe must also provide a 90-day alert to green-light any regulations or approvals needed to offer gaming on-site. The tribe will also need to notify the City Council one year before the casino’s launch. This is to ensure that both sides reach a mutual agreement on how the tribe will pay the council proceeds from the casino’s revenue, ensuring the local community benefits most from the new development.
