whpcOpening
CHANDLER-On Fri, Oct. 30, the Gila River Indian Community opened the doors to its new 100,00 square foot Wild Horse Pass Casino. The casino features over 1,000 slot machines, 71 table games along with five lounges and eight new dining facilities.
Billed as Arizona’s premier hotel/casino, the new Wild Horse Pass Casino and Hotel will offer 242 rooms in a ten story hotel and the finest in upscale service and lodging.
“Even though this is an economic endeavor it really starts out with culture and it evolves to the business world and economic development. It still comes back to taking care of our economies and communities,” Stevens said.
“We understand this it’s a challenging economy and we’re working hard to fix it. But I think that the foresight, the expertise and the work ethic of Indian Country, it really is an important part of what we’re about.”
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, Governor William R. Rhodes was given the honor of placing the first bet and spinning the reels of the first slot machine. Rhodes didn’t win on the inaugural spin but his luck changed on the second spin winning $60 dollars.The Governor acknowledged that this momentous financial endeavor has taken a lot of hard work and planning on behalf of the Community.
“It’s a good asset for the Community. They’ll benefit from the proceeds coming in and through here. Education gets a big chunk of the money that comes in,” Rhodes said.
The Governor also noted that many other programs would benefit alongside education such as programs for the elderly.
GRIC Lt. Governor, Joseph Manuel said, “It’s going to bring unanticipated revenues that we need, especially in the economic times that we’re in. It’s just unbelievable that this place is so immaculate. We’re premiere in the State of Arizona for hotel and Indian casinos. We’re at the top and we’re going to stay there.”
Harold Baugus, Chief Executive Officer for the Gila River Gaming Enterprise was thrilled to see the new casino come to fruition with such grandeur.
“What were going to see is a brand new type of gaming in Arizona like it’s never seen before. We’ve built a multimillion-dollar facility that’s going to be the top of the state for a number of years to come,” Baugus said. “We have state of the art gaming as well as eight food outlets that encompass fine and casual dining. Our Shula’s Steakhouse will probably be known the finest steakhouse in Arizona. We’re also offering a four-star hotel along with a 1400 seat entertainment venue which no other casino in Arizona has. This is huge endeavor and commitment for the Community.”
In addressing the state of the national economy, Baugus said that the new Wild Horse Pass Casino and Hotel has been developed as a long-term plan for the Community.
“This is was not a short term vision,” he said. “When we started this, the economy was okay. When it started to go bad, all it caused us to do was change our business model and change our marketing strategies into a different direction. However, this is a long range plan for generations to come for the Community.”
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