Ultimately, Arizona signed casino compacts with all 22 of the state's federally recognized tribes. The Yavapai's decision to defend their property forced the governor into negotiations.
Fife Symington asked the FBI to raid five tribal gaming establishments and seize gaming machines.Īt what is now the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort near Scottsdale, members of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation formed a blockade to prevent the removal of the machines, and a three-week standoff ensued. In May 1992, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) prohibited tribal casinos from offering class III gaming like slots on their land without signing a compact with the surrounding state. It also has 24 tribal casinos, which state authorities were initially reluctant to welcome, back in the 1990s.įollowing the enactment of the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act of 1988 (IGRA), many local Native American tribes began to offer casino games without the permission of local and state authorities. In 2022, it even opened the first sports book at an NFL stadium anywhere in the US, the BetMGM Sportsbook at the State Farm Stadium, home of the Cardinals. Arizona wasn't always quick to react to the latest developments in the gambling world, but today the state has embraced legal land-based and mobile sports betting.
