Four years after Arizona rewrote its tribal gaming laws, clearing the way for sports betting, roulette, craps and other previously verboten casino mainstays, Valley gaming is riding high. But the best local casinos offer much more than games of chance. Following the Las Vegas model, they’re embracing fine dining, entertainment, wellness and other adult diversions. Get the inside scoop with this special roundup.
Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona
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.
Seasonal Highlight!
See rock legends ZZ Top on Friday, November 14, at Talking Stick’s Salt River Grand Ballroom.
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino
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.
Seasonal Highlight!
Grab a post-roulette deep-tissue massage at The Spa at Harrah’s. After all, winning is hard on the soft tissues!
Desert Diamond Casino
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 and the Art Deco-inspired Edge Bar.
Seasonal Highlight!
Pair your Desert Diamond visit with a big-ticket show at nearby Desert Diamond Arena: hip-hop sensation NBA YoungBoy (November 6) or, later in the winter, Lady Gaga (February 14 and 15). desertdiamondarena.com
Wild Horse Pass Resort & Casino
Wild Horse Pass Resort & Casino (wildhorsepass.com) in Chandler was long among the most stylish, amenity-laden gaming complexes in the Valley – and it’s only gotten 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. But the real jackpot at WHP is the vigorous programming at its live music venue, Showroom at Wild Horse Pass, an intimate but energetic theater where there’s not a bad seat in the house.
Seasonal Highlight!
Boldly booked with indie rock (Band of Horses), New Wave (Echo & the Bunnymen) and other fresh genres, the Showroom has evolved into the East Valley’s top spot for concerts. See what’s cooking this winter.
THE JACKSONS
Friday, Nov. 7
NIGHT RANGER
Saturday, Nov. 8
CHEAP TRICK
Sunday, Nov. 9
TODD RUNDGREN
Thursday, Nov. 13
38 SPECIAL
Friday, Nov. 14
GEORGE LOPEZ (21+)
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
MATT FRASER
FRIDAY, NOV. 21
WAYNE NEWTON
SUNDAY, NOV. 23
GIPSY KINGS
SATURDAY, DEC 6
CLAY WALKER
SUNDAY, DEC. 7
BEN FOLDS: TIS THE SEASON
SATURDAY, DEC. 13
TOWER OF POWER
SUNDAY, DEC. 14
SMOKEY ROBINSON
SATURDAY, DEC. 20
We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort
Just past Fountain Hills is the Northeast Valley’s premier 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.
Seasonal Highlight!
In addition to big-ticket music acts in the We-Ko-Pa Casino Conference Center (like Foghat on January 9), the casino programs live weekend music in its sports book, including Arizona tribal country-rock band Aravaipa (November 14-15) – which is just about the coolest name for an Arizona rock act we’ve ever heard.
