A view of the gaming floor at the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley in Glendale, Arizona. Photo from Facebook
The Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona will open the doors to its new casino at 1pm on Sunday, December 20. The Desert Diamond Casino - West Valley is located on newly-acquired land in Glendale. The site was placed in trust in connection with a federal law that compensated the tribe for the loss of one of its reservations. The state and two rival tribes with existing casinos are still fighting the project in Congress and in the courts. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just heard arguments in another part of the dispute on December 7.
Indianz.Com SoundCloud: 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Oral Arguments in State of Arizona v. Tohono O'Odham Nation
The Tohono O'odham Nation, however, has beat back all of the court challenges. The tribe also emerged victorious last month when opponents in the House failed to garner enough support for H.R.308, the Keep the Promise Act, a bill that would have blocked the casino. The only hurdle still facing the tribe is whether it can offer Class III games. The state has refused to certify the facility under the Class III compact so the gamblers will be restricted to Class II games when the casino opens. A different lawsuit is pending in federal court on that issue. Get the Story:
Desert Diamond Casino West Valley near Glendale to open Sunday after long battle (The Arizona Republic 12/18)
Desert Diamond Casino West Valley: Will you go? (The Arizona Republic 12/18)
W.V. casino to open Sunday 1 p.m. to public for first time (The Daily News-Sun 12/18)
Tribal casino in the West Valley set to open this weekend (The Phoenix Business Journal 12/18)
Tohono O'odham Nation To Open Long-Disputed Casino Near Glendale (KJZZ 12/17)
West Valley casino opens Sunday (The Glendale Star 12/16)
Inside look at Desert Diamond West Valley Casino; opens Sunday amid legal battle (ABC15 12/15) An Opinion:
EJ Montini: Politicians still waging war on tribe's casino (The Arizona Republic 12/18)
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