Legislation | Openings & Closings

Tohono O'odham Nation eyes more development at new casino

Thursday, November 19, 2015

The exterior of the Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley in Glendale, Arizona, is taking shape ahead of its December 20, 2015, opening. Photo from Facebook

The Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona is moving full steam ahead for the December 20 opening of its controversial new casino.

The tribe is putting 500 people to work at the Desert Diamond Casino - West Valley in Glendale. The $200 million construction effort has supported 1,300 jobs at 80 different firms, Chairman Ed Manuel told The Glendale Star.

And that's only just the beginning. Manuel said the tribe is planning additional developments for the casino, which has overcome a series of legal and political obstacles in Arizona and on Capitol Hill.

“When we go to Phase II and III, it is going to require more construction employees, and when we complete the full project, it’s going to stimulate economic development in the area," Manuel told the Star. "That’s what we’re looking at, for Glendale and surrounding communities.”

Indianz.Com SoundCloud: House Debate on H.R.308, the Keep the Promise Act

The tribe's latest victory came when opponents of the casino failed to secure enough votes for H.R.308, the Keep the Promise Act. The bill was considered under a suspension of the rules in the House on Monday but the roll call -- 263 to 146 -- fell short of the two-thirds needed for approval.

The bill doesn't mention any tribes by name but it bars all forms of gaming on land placed in trust in the Phoenix area after April 9, 2013. The Tohono O'odham Nation is the only one in that situation.

Congress has the authority to bar gaming on newly acquired lands and usually does so when a tribe asks for a prohibition in a land-into-trust bill. But lawmakers have never enacted a retroactive gaming ban, especially one that goes against a tribe's wishes.

Get the Story:
West Valley casino clears another hurdle (The Glendale Star 11/19)
Three Indian tribes' casino battle heads to Capitol Hill (Phoenix Business Journal 11/19)

An Opinion:
Editorial: It’s time for the feds to keep their promise (The Glendale Star 11/19)