Casinos in Arizona

The Best Casino in Arizona

The Biggest Casinos in Arizona

Are There Indian Casinos in Arizona?

Indian or native casinos are defined as gambling resorts that are built on tribal land, with these entities now regulated by the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. These entities are incredibly popular and offer a pure gambling experience, while also creating significant wealth and jobs on native American lands.

Arizona is one of America’s Indian casino heartlands, with 23 such resorts located across the length and breadth of the states. Here’s a further breakdown of these resorts and where they can be found.

Racinos

A racino is defined as a gambling establishment that combines slot machines, table games and poker rooms with a fully-fledged racetrack. While these resorts aren’t necessarily common nationwide, there’s one located in Arizona (Yavapai) in the city of Prescott.

Are There Cruise Ship or Riverboat Casinos in Arizona?

Riverboat or cruise ship casinos are essentially small-scale casinos that feature popular games and exist on waterfronts. There are more than 50 such entities located in six North American states including Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, Missouri. As you can see, there are no riverboat casinos in Arizona, however, you can still check out the full range of casinos available in the state.

Full Arizona Casino List

While there’s a good variety of land-based casinos to explore throughout Arizona, most are located near or within urban areas. Here’s a more detailed look at these casino locations.

Expected New Casinos

The Navajo Nation is developing a 13-acre casino site to the northeast of Flagstaff, on the same property as the famous Horsemen Lodge steakhouse, which is also set to reopen. Operated by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and scheduled for completion in 2026, Casino Del Sol – Grant Road will be the first casino built within Tucson city limits, featuring a 73,000-square-foot casino floor.

Gambling in Arizona

Casino Games in Arizona

In this section, we’ll look at the range of casino games and activities that are legal in Arizona, across the full range of individual locations. We’ll look also look at some of the variants and the types of gaming experience on offer to players.

Gambling Legal Situation in Arizona

Taxation of Winnings

Like all other US states, gambling winnings earned by Arizona residents are subject to a federal tax rate of 24% for casino winnings. For winnings in excess of $5,000, players will also be required to pay a 10% levy to the state authority.

Arizona Gambling Laws

History

Under the current law, players in Arizona will play a relatively high tax on winnings worth more than $5,000. In total, such winnings will be subject to a total levy of 34%, including 24% in federal taxes and a further 10% in local state requirements.

• 1950: As we’ve already touched on, Arizona’s approach to regulating gambling is relatively liberal (even amongst conservative states). In fact, the popular and lucrative racing industry dates all the way back to the 1950s, while the state was also the one of the first to legalize a regional lottery in 1981. However, the history of casino gambling in the state is a little more complex, with the authorities having been backed into a corner when tribes began to launch Arizona casinos without a gambling compact more than 25 years ago.
• 1988: This triggered a significant legal fight, before the state decided to strike a compromise by legalizing casino gameplay on reservations in 1992, while simultaneously imposing initial restrictions in terms of games and bet limits (some of which remain in place at some locations). The first wave of legal Indian casinos also followed the rollout of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which provided a framework in which such resorts could operate.

Upcoming Changes in the Gambling Regulation

Despite the relatively progressive legislative approach to gambling in Arizona, there’s little chance that online or mobile wagering will be legalized in the near future. For example, there are currently no bills being debated in the senate, after previously failed attempts to regulate this activity in 2019 and 2020.