All casinos in Arizona are owned by Native American tribal reserves. Since the state has the largest Area of Native American land it comes as no surprise. Gambling in Arizona like in many American states is regulated by the state. The only forms of gambling sanctioned by law are:
State Lotteries
Tribal Casinos
We have a compiled a list of some the best Arizona casino resorts along with brief overview of what forms of gambling are allowed in the state. For players in other states who prefer online casinos, we have a list of the best casinos sites that accept US players. Unfortunately, the state of Arizona does not permit gambling online.
Arizona has 25 Native American casinos spread across the state. Although gambling in Arizona is limited to the tribal casinos and state lottery players at least have a range of games to partake in. Whereas some states would have limited class II gaming only at native casinos, in Arizona players can enjoy the full scope of casino games and slot machines. Overall the casinos have 16,762 slot gaming machines in total.
Casinos in Phoenix Arizona
Phoenix is the capital of The Grand Canyon State and therefore many residents are always on the hunt for casinos in Phoenix Arizona.
There are eight main casinos in Phoenix and they are
Casino Arizona in Scottsdale established in 1998
Desert Diamond Casino–West Valley in Glendale established in 2015
Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills established in 1992
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa established in 1994
Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale established in 2010
Lone Butte Casino is near Chandler opened in 1994
Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino close to Laveen in Maricopa launched in 1997
Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino near Chandler in Maricopa opened in 1995
Arizona Casinos COVID Precautions and Protocols
After initially closing in mid-March due to the initial wave of Coronavirus infections, some casinos opened in May again with limited restrictions. That soon backfired with cases increasing around said casinos. Since then all casinos in Arizona have upped their precautionary protocols at the casinos.
Some of the precautions being taken include:
Casinos are being cleaned and sanitized at regular intervals.
No Mask No Entry Rules
Valet services have been suspended to avoid the spread.
No smoking
Limitations and reduced number of patrons in casinos to implement social distancing
Gambling in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Gambling restricts casino style gambling to tribal casinos only. Any casino for profit is not allowed. There is no racetrack betting or sports betting. However residents in Arizona are quite close to Mexico which has many racinos offering a range or betting options. Not to say the tribal casinos are lacking in any way. Collectively, the casinos have 16,762 gambling machines spread across all the casinos.
There is however an interesting grey area that gamblers have taken advantage of in Arizona. The law is not explicit on what is and isn’t permissible when betting on fantasy sports. So, for new Arizona gamblers bet on a variety of fantasy sports for real money.
Newest Arizona Casinos
Of the nearly 30 casinos in Arizona all are Native American Tribal Casinos. They are scattered across the state in different cities. All these casinos were established in the 90s with the exception of six which were established between 2001 to 2017. The six newest casinos in chronological order are
Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita
Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale
Casino del Sol, Tucson
Twin Arrows Casino Resort, Flagstaff
Desert Diamond Casino–West Valley, Glendale
Apache Sky Casino, Dudleyville
List of Casinos in Arizona
Casino
Location
Opened
Tribe
Apache Gold Casino Resort
Gila
1994
San Carlos Apache
Apache Sky Casino
Pinal
2017
San Carlos Apache
BlueWater Resort and Casino
La Paz
1999
Colorado River Indian Tribes
Bucky’s Casino
Yavapai
1995
Yavapai-Prescott
Casino Arizona
Maricopa
1998
Salt River Pima–Maricopa
Casino del Sol
Pima
2011
Pascua Yaqui
Casino of the Sun
Pima
1994
Pascua Yaqui
Cliff Castle Casino
Yavapai
1995
Yavapai-Apache
Cocopah Resort Casino
Yuma
1993
Cocopah
Desert Diamond Casino
Pima
1999
Tohono O’odham
Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita
Pima
2001
San Xavier
Desert Diamond Casino–West Valley
Maricopa
2015
Tohono O’odham Nation
Desert Diamond Hotel & Casino
Pima
1993
San Xavier
Fort McDowell Casino
Maricopa
1992
Fort McDowell Yavapai
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino
Pinal
1994
Ak-Chin
Hon-Dah Resort Casino
Navajo
1993
White Mountain Apache
Lone Butte Casino
Maricopa
1994
Gila River Indian Community
Mazatzal Casino
Gila
1993
Tonto Apache
Paradise Casino
Yuma
1996
Quechan
Spirit Mountain Casino
Mohave
1995
Mohave
Talking Stick Resort
Maricopa
2010
Salt River Pima–Maricopa
Twin Arrows Casino Resort
Coconino
2013
Navajo
Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino
Maricopa
1997
Gila River Indian Community
Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
Maricopa
1995
Gila River Indian Community
Yavapai Casino
Yavapai
1992
Yavapai-Prescott
Arizona Casinos FAQs
How many casinos are in Arizona?
There are 25 casinos in Arizona and they are all native American Casinos.
What is the biggest casino in Arizona?
The largest casino in Arizona is the talking stick resort and casino which covers more than 240000 square feet.
Are drinks free in Arizona casinos?
Drinks are free for high roller players. So, if you’re playing high limit games you can expect free drinks.
Where can you gamble in Arizona?
You can come gamble at any of the 25 tribal casinos straight across Arizona.
Is DraftKings legal in Arizona?
Arizona is one of the few states that have fantasy sports betting clearly classified as illegal.
Can I gamble online in Arizona?
There are no online gambling sites in Arizona as the law does not permit online casino to operate from the state.