It's been more than 12 years since the Tohono O'odham Nation purchased land in Glendale, Arizona to build it's Desert Diamond Casino West Valley.
The Tohono O'odham had purchased the property near the the Westgate Entertainment District and University of Phoenix Stadium to replace land destroyed by a federally constructed dam years earlier. The tribe then had the land legally converted into reservation land.
In 2011, the State, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community filed a federal lawsuit against Tohono O'odham in an attempt to block the West Valley Casino, arguing that the gaming compact passed by Arizona voters in 2002 capped the number of casinos allowed in the Valley.
On 12/20/15, the tribe had won it's first major court battle, that lead to the casino's opening of a Class 2 gaming facility which plays competitors against one another in poker or bingo-based slot games.
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This week Desert Diamond Casino West Valley and the Tohono O'odham Nation received the blessing of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to expand its Glendale casino to include Class III gaming and incorporate slot machines and table games. The ruling marked the 19th decision by courts and federal agencies in favor of the project.
Class 3 gaming features games against the casino, such as blackjack, roulette and slot machines.
Visit the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino website to see current promotions.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected legal challenges by the State and two rival tribes. The Gila River tribe has three Valley casinos south of Phoenix, and the Salt River tribe has two casinos east of Scottsdale.
The Tohono O'odham tribe has three southern Arizona casinos.
The courts found that the Tohono O'odham properly acquired the unincorporated land near Glendale for the casino, and complied with terms of the gaming pact several tribes reached with the state in 2002 that regulates tribal casinos.
The court stated: "...compact negotiated at length by sophisticated parties expressly authorizes the Nation to conduct game on its 'Indian Lands.'" and "... language is unambiguous and not reasonably susceptible to plaintiffs' interpretation that the compact implicitly bars the Nation from gaming ...".
The Desert Diamond West Valley Casino will include table games, as well as slot machines. The location will eventually include a resort and spa which market research will determine number of rooms and design.
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