Openings & Closings | Regulation

Tohono O'odham Nation vows defense for off-reservation casino

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Chairman Ned Norris Jr. signed the last steel beam that's part of the initial structure for the West Valley Resort near Glendale, Arizona. Photo from Facebook

The Tohono O'odham Nation won't stop work on an off-reservation casino despite threats from the state of Arizona.

The tribe is spending $200 million on the initial phase of the West Valley Resort. Construction has generated 1,300 jobs and Chairman Ned Norris Jr. slammed the state for putting the project at risk.

“It is absurd to see elected officials working feverishly to take away thousands of jobs from their constituents, even refusing to adhere to the compact and a federal court ruling," Norris said in a press release.

The casino is due to open by the end of the year but the Arizona Department of Gaming threatening to withhold a certification for the facility. Gov. Doug Ducey (R), who just took office in January, is backing the agency's stance and claims the tribe deceived voters by pursuing an urban casino.

Artist's rendering of the West Valley Resort under construction in Arizona. Image from Facebook

Local officials, on the other hand, are siding with the tribe. The city of Glendale supports the project and entered into a revenue-sharing agreement that will bring $26 million over 20 years to address infrastructure, services and other impacts of the casino.

The facility is being built on land that was placed in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in July 2014. The tribe acquired the site in connection with the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Act of 1986.

The law compensates the tribe for a reservation that was flooded by the federal government. It requires the BIA to place up to 10,000 acres in trust in "unincorporated" areas -- the site near Glendale qualified, an issue that was upheld in the courts.

Get the Story:
Tribe building casino in face of state opposition (The Arizona Republic 4/23)
Tribe presses ahead with WV casino although state’s halted process to put it in business (The Glendale Daily News-Sun 4/23)
Tohono O'odham vow to defend Glendale casino rights (Capitol Media Services 4/23)