We’re back with Wacky Casino Wednesday! NO!  The casinos aren’t wacky, it’s Wednesday that’s wacky!  (Just wanted to clear that up…)

This week we’re featuring a casino that’s been around for a while with a new hotel property.

RADISSON FORT MCDOWELL RESORT & CASINO

Located 24 miles from the Phoenix airport, just south of Fountain Hills, Arizona on highway AZ-87 (Payson) is the home of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.  Although not a name you might be familiar with, the Yavapai were instrumental in forcing Arizona into a gaming compact creating this states tribal casino system.

As I mentioned in my first article last week, the Federal government passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988.  The catch was that each state was responsible for signing contracts between themselves and the tribes who wished to participate in gaming.  Unfortunately, the governor of Arizona was opposed to tribal gaming so signing anything was not going to happen.

Ft. McDowell's Indian commemorating when they asserted their sovereign nation status

Unfortunately for the state, five casinos were already in operation around the state so in a desperate move, the Governor asked the FBI to raid the establishments, including Fort McDowell.

When the FBI loaded up 349 slot machines into trucks they found that they were not going to get too far.  Yavapai members blocked the casino access road with all types of vehicles and stood their ground for three weeks.  The governor finally (and surely reluctantly) signed a compact with the Yavapai.  This in essence created the legalization of Indian gaming in Arizona.

If you want to celebrate with them, May 12^th is a tribal holiday!

GAMBLING

With a 150,000 sq. ft. gaming floor, there are 866 machines, 55 table and poker games, keno, poker, and bingo.

ENTERTAINMENT

Lucky 7 Saloon

Friday & Saturday: 9:00pm-1:00am

Sunday: 4:00pm-8:00pm

Outdoor Concerts

Throughout the summer outdoor concerts are presented with nationally known entertainers

FOOD

Fort McDowell Casino Dining

Cottonwood Café: Open Daily – Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Featuring: Asian, Italian, Mexican, Prime Ribs, Sandwiches

Redrock Buffet: Open Daily – Friday-Sunday Buffet with “All you can eat” Crab Legs $14.50

New York New York Deli: Sandwiches / Pizza $5.00 – $12.95

Noodles Sushiya: Sushi Bar in the non-smoking area of the casino $2.95-$7.95

Outside The Casino

Ah-Ha-Qwah-Ja Pool Bar and Café: Beverage & light entrees.
We-Ko-Pa Grill (We-Ko-Pa Golf Clubhouse):  Open daily serving breakfast & lunch.

HOTEL

Radisson Hotel at Fort McDowell Casino

In December 2005, Radisson opened its property next to the casino.  It’s interesting that although it is next to the casino, the Radisson is not physically connected to it or to the conference center that forms a buffer between the two buildings.  Fortunately, the southwestern desert climate makes inclement weather a rarity so even on a brisk winter evening the walk is invigorating.

- 248 rooms (4-star resort)

- Sleep Number Beds available

- $10 in casino play with free Fort McDowell Fortune Club membership

- Amethyst Spa

- Ahnala Mesquite Room restaurant

- Wassaja Conference Center (25,000 sq. ft.

- Heated outdoor pool/Jacuzzi

- We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (two, 18-hole courses)

http://www.radissonfortmcdowellresort.com

http://www.fortmcdowellcasino.com

http://fortmcdowelldestination.com

Tomorrow – We’ll take a quick look at what will soon be the newest, and largest, Resort Casino to open in Arizona.

For instance, the Gila River community has three casino properties, but only one has a hotel connected to its gaming area. (The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Hotel has no casino.)

Native American casinos are not exclusive to Arizona. You can hop in our car in New Mexico, travel through Arizona, California and up the coast to Oregon and Washington and you will find tribal gaming in all of the previously mentioned states. A number of those casinos also have hotel accommodations and resort amenities such as golf courses.

With the exception of Arkansas and Utah, there are tribal gaming establishments in every state west of the Mississippi River. But, not all tribal gaming is Las Vegas-style with a resort and casino. Some tribal entities opt for only Bingo or Poker. Others are currently developing, or in construction of, hotels as they envision “destinations,” not just gaming.

East of the Mississippi, there are similar exceptions to the “no Tribal Gaming states” with the majority being in the Midwest: Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, for example, do not have tribal gaming although some have several private enterprise casinos (Indiana/Illinois). Other scattered states throughout the eastern United States have no gaming at all, Tribal or private.

Although there might be some disagreement, the premier resort casinos east of the Mississippi are located in Connecticut: Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

In retrospect, Native American gaming is relatively new. It started out as the proverbial “Bingo Hall” in 1979 when the Seminole Tribe of southern Florida fought with the state government over their sovereignty to basically do what they wished on their own land. The lawsuit took a trip to the United State Supreme Court, and yes, the rest is history! But not quite!It took until 1987 for the Federal government to concede that all federally recognized tribes had the right to operate casinos outside of the jurisdiction of any state as long as the state did not prohibit gambling. The following year the IGRA, (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) was established by Congress. In a bit of a reversal of the, “you can do whatever you want” law from the previous year, limitations were established that needed to be negotiated between the tribes and the individual states. These negotiated terms then needed to be approved by the Department of Interior.

It shouldn’t take a “state government” rocket scientist to figure out what happened during that year … can you say, “fair share of the profits” without winking?

There are now three classes of gaming (we seemed to have lost the word “gambling” along the way) with Class III the most recognizable to that of Las Vegas with slot machines, roulette, blackjack or anything that is “played against the house.”

For a list of Tribal Casinos throughout the United States and Canada:

http://500nations.com/

ARIZONA

Over the next few weeks, we will makes stops at two casinos here in the Phoenix area that have recently opened hotels, and then take a look at the newest member whose opening date is early next year.

We’ll also make our way down to Tucson and visit the only Hotel-Casino in the area.

(See the additional blog today on the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino that debuted on October 30, 2009.)