For the culmination of the last four weeks, we decided to get out of town and head for Prescott, Arizona, less than 2 1/2 hours northwest of Phoenix.

Although containing only 1400+ acres, the Yavapai-Prescott tribe has done well within that small amount of land.  Originally, its economy consisted of timber, mining and agriculture along with a sand and gravel company.

Today with less than 200 tribal members they have managed to secure a Business Park, a 250-acre shopping center, a hotel and two casinos at the entrance to the city of Prescott.

Gaming at Bucky’s

The larger of the two gaming facilities, Bucky’s Casino sits atop a hill adjacent, and directly connected to the Prescott Hotel and Conference Center. The view from atop the hill is incredible which is attractive for hotel guests, but not so much for casino patrons who probably aren’t that enthralled by the view.

The casino is unique to others we have seen in the last few weeks in that a closed double door connects the hotel to the gaming floor.   Elsewhere, the hotel to casino entrances have been large and free flowing with no forbidding access.  (There are also two outside entrances directly into the casino).  The answer might lie in the fact that the hotel is a non-smoking property and the narrow hallway that connects from the front desk to the casino is much closer than the other properties we have seen.

Inside you find that there are actually three levels of gaming each with slot machines, but interspersed with table games on two of those levels.

As I walked in from the hotel entrance, I was greeted by a security guard, another startling addition to what I had seen over the last several weeks.  Guards were transparently scattered throughout the facility.  Maybe it was the smaller size of the casino that made them that much more visible, but I don’t recall feeling “watched” by humans as much as I did at Bucky’s.

I had the opportunity to actually see inside of a gaming machine as one was being repaired.  The internal electronics and maze of wiring was amazing.  This was nothing like the old “one-armed bandits” with the pull arms.  It was interesting that the maintenance tech was still working inside the machine when I made my way back around to that area.  He even seemed a little baffled by all of the electronics himself.

I had to chuckle as the gambler next to him was not the least bit interested in the inner workings of the identical machine on which he was playing.  It was his steely focused gaze on the screen of his own machine that was almost scary!

Other Diversions

Although the majority of the evening’s gaming were taking place at slot machines, there are Blackjack and Poker tables along with Keno.

If you need some food, Bucky’s Café is located on the third floor and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Just outside is a full service bar.

I will have to say that Bucky’s is a much more intimate casino atmosphere than any I had encountered in the last few weeks as it does not have high ceilings, huge gaming floors and non-smoking gaming areas.

Low ceilings and a nearly packed house on the main slot machine floor reminded me of some of the small casinos in downtown Las Vegas.

www.buckyscasino.com

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the excellent hotel property attached to the casino that is managed by small boutique firm with international holdings.

Take a look at our SHOP for gifts for yourself and others.

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.

In the casino business, it’s all about numbers:

- 242 room hotel
- 1,400-seat Las Vegas-style showroom
- 1,000 Vegas-style slot machines
- 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space
- 800-car parking garage
- 7 restaurants
- 5 night clubs/lounges

Atrium of Wild Horse Pass Hotel

This is currently the largest hotel/casino project to open in Arizona. Unfortunately in the hotel business, fame is fleeting as everyone tries to top each other (i.e. Las Vegas). Within the next few months the area east of Scottsdale and home of the Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community will be home to a larger hotel/casino property (double the room number and nearly two and a half times the square footage of gaming floor.)

Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino

But wait, that’s not all! There is talk of an even bigger property in Glendale, Arizona if “everyone“ can come to some type of an agreement.

But for now, The Wild Horse Pass & Casino is KING!

Fountain at Wild Horse Pass

About the only thing that is free is the parking, but that’s better than most hotels on Vegas strip! Once you enter the massive 100,000 sq. ft. gaming area, the noise ramps up and the fun begins, if you are a gambler.

GAMBLING

Although it’s actually possible to go in a casino, walk around and never spend one penny on any of the enticing machines that seem to be calling your name, you might be one of those who listens to the call.

In that case, there are 1,000 slot machines to choose from. If you haven’t seen a slot machine lately, don’t expect to be pulling on one of those arms on the side of the machine. Today’s slots are totally electronic/computerized masterminds at the art of trying to get your money to become theirs. The clicking sounds of the rotors have been quieted to the extent you can actually hear music emanating from the ceilings.

If you are not a smoker (Indian Gaming in Arizona makes smoking permissible on the casino floor), there is an enclosed room with a small number of slot machines.

Table games include Blackjack with table limits from $5 to $1,000.

A separate 17-table Poker room is a non-smoking area with its own kitchen offering half-price menu items for qualified guests.

So, what if you don’t gamble? There are still things to do.

Come back tomorrow for more things to do at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino