Bust the house with this look at the Valley’s new gaming culture, including sportsbooks and table games.
VALLEY GAMING ATLAS
Sweeping changes to the state’s gambling laws over the past five years have made Arizona a paradise for fans of chance. Here’s an overview of the top gaming outposts in Greater Phoenix, by region.
W E S T V A L L E Y
With December room rates starting at $180/night, Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino (playatgila.com) in Laveen affords guests plenty of leeway in their gaming budget. And what a property it is: Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design with the best casino pool west of the I-17, a tequila lounge and a spacious gaming floor that includes 19 oversize table games, including blackjack, pai gow, three-card poker and roulette.
If old-school Texas Hold ’Em is your game, deal in with Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley (ddcaz.com), the ever-evolving gaming refuge near Westgate Entertainment District that includes the only casino poker room in the West Valley, plus a newly added elite restaurant in Nineteen 86 Steakhouse.
→ Wild-Card Rec
Looking for a unique gift for the sports fan in your life? Vee Quiva (playatgila.com/resorts/vee-quiva) offers D-backs, Coyotes and Cardinals suites in its 90-key hotel.
S C O T T S D A L E /N O R T H E A S T V A L L E Y
The Scottsdale-Fountain Hills nexus is blessed with two all-purpose gaming-resort sanctuaries that rival the best Vegas has to offer. What else can you say about Talking Stick Resort (talkingstickresort.com)? The 15-story mini-city is a weekend getaway unto itself, with live music, an award-winning spa and golf. It also gets our vote for having the Valley’s most unique casino restaurant: Ocean Trail, an Asian-Creole fusion restaurant that pairs nicely with the Orange Sky flagship steakhouse upstairs. For a pure gaming experience, some Valley slot- and poker-fans prefer Talking Stick’s sister property: Casino Arizona (casinoarizona.com), located just a few miles down the Pima Freeway/101. With the CAZ Sports Bar and Arizona’s biggest poker room – not to mention 900 slot machines and numerous table games – it’s a gaming monster.
Just past Fountain Hills is the area’s other great gaming getaway: We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort (wekopacasinoresort.com). Endowed with four on-site restaurants and two superb 18-hole golf courses that showcase the clean desert beauty of the McDowell Mountain foothills, We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort is always in the conversation when it comes to gaming-friendly staycations. Must-do experiences: splurge on the crab Oscar upgrade for your bone-in ribeye at Ember, the resort’s ritzy chophouse; and keep an eye peeled for slumbering coyotes on the back-nine arroyos at Cholla, perhaps the finest public golf course in the Valley.
→ Wild-Card Rec
Named one of America’s best casino courses by Golfweek, Talking Stick Golf Club is a must for duffers. Follow it up with a sports massage at The Spa – located on the 14th floor, it offers the highest-elevation rub-down in the Valley.
E A S T V A L L E Y /S O U T H P H O E N I X
Wild Horse Pass Resort & Casino (wildhorsepass.com) in Chandler was long the most stylish, amenity-laden gaming complex in the South Valley – and it’s only got better with a $143 million expansion that added a second guest-room tower with 205 rooms, an oasis-style pool, a rooftop restaurant in Shula, A Modern Steakhouse, and myriad other luxe diversions. The Gila River tribal property also boasts the Whirlwind Golf Club, nearby outlet shopping and a stacked selection of restaurants, including Kai, believed by many to be a Top 3 Arizona fine-dining restaurant.
Any gaming staycation is instantly uplifted by Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino (caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin). This slot-encrusted jewel of the South Valley has everything you need for a well-rounded weekend of indulgence, including Chop, Block & Brew steakhouse; the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club; a swim-up pool bar; and sundry bingo, Keno and table-play options. Also cool: The hotel and casino features an impressive array of art pieces and installations created by Indigenous artists.
→ Wild-Card Rec
Saddle up at the nearby Koli Equestrian Center (koliequestrian.com) and enjoy unimpeded views of the Sierra Estrella Mountains atop your own steed on a guided ride.
Rising Public Revenue
The freer regulations in Arizona gaming resulted in an immediate spike in tribal contributions to Arizona’s public coffers, funding education, wildlife conservation and other programs.
ARIZONA CASINO FAST FACTS
→ Largest Casino
The 240,000-square-foot Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.
→ Most Slot Machines
Desert Diamond Casino, which boasts 1,450 slot machines.
→ Highest Poker Buy-Ins
The Arena Poker Room at Talking Stick Resort, with occasional $500 buy-ins.
→ Loosest Slots
Indeterminate. But Desert Diamond was the only casino in Arizona to appear in Strictly Slots magazine’s “Certified Loose Slot” program.
