At Betting-AZ.com, we’re here to answer your questions on all things related to casino in AZ. Get the lowdown on the best casinos in Arizona, and the legal landscape for the state’s online casino industry. Online casinos aren’t currently legal, but expect that to change in the future. Naturally, we will cover all the key elements that you need to know when that happens.
Where Can You Play Casinos in AZ?
With the Arizona state legislature deeming that only sports betting can be carried out online, the only option is to visit land-based casinos in the Grand Canyon State at present:
Name | City | Opened | Number of slots/tables/rooms | Address | Phone number |
Apache Gold Casino Resort | San Carlos | 1994 | 410 slots, multiple table games and a 200-seat bingo hall | 777 Geronimo Springs Blvd, Cutter Industrial Park, San Carlos, AZ 85550 | (877)272-2433 |
Apache Sky Casino | Dudleyville | 2017 | 300 slots and multiple table games | 777 Apache Sky Blvd, Winkelman, AZ 85192 | (928)475-0077 |
Blue Water Resort & Casino | Parker | 1999 | Hundreds of slots, nine blackjack tables and 3-card poker tables | 11300 Resort Drive, Parker, AZ 85344 | (888)243-3360 |
Bucky’s Casino | Prescott | 1995 | Hundreds of slots and multiple blackjack tables | 1500 AZ-69, Prescott, AZ 86301 | (928)776-5696 |
Casino Arizona | Scottsdale | 1998 | 900+ slot machines and almost 50 blackjack tables, plus a 1,000-seat bingo hall | 524 N 92nd St, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 | (480)850-7777 |
Casino Del Sol | Tucson | 2011 | 1,300+ slot machines. Nine table game options, plus live poker room | 5655 W Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85757 | (855)765-7829 |
Casino of the Sun | Tucson | 1994 | 1,300 slot machines and numerous table games | 7406 S Camino De Oeste, Tucson, AZ 85746 | (520)883-1700 |
Cliff Castle Casino | Camp Verde | 1995 | 650+ slot machines, multiple blackjack tables, and a high-limit room | 555 W Middle Verde Rd, Camp Verde, AZ 86322 | (928)567-7999 |
Cocopah Resort Casino | Somerton | 1993 | 500+ slot games, four blackjack tables, and a bingo hall | 15318 S Avenue B, Somerton, AZ 85350 | (928)726-8066 |
Desert Diamond Casino | Why | 1999 | 40+ slot machines | Arizona 86, Highway Milepost 55, Ajo, AZ 85321 | (866)332-9467 |
Desert Diamond Casino | Sahuarita | 2001 | Hundreds of slot games, blackjack, roulette and EZ baccarat tables, and a sizeable poker room | 1100 W Pima Mine Rd, Sahuarita, AZ 85629 | (866)332-9467 |
Desert Diamond Casino | Glendale | 2015 | 1,400+ slot machines, eight table game options, and a live poker room | 9431 W Northern Ave, Glendale, AZ 85305 | (623)877-7777 |
Desert Diamond Hotel & Casino | Tucson | 1993 | Numerous slot machines and a wide range of table games, including roulette, baccarat, and craps. | 7350 S Nogales Hwy, Tucson, AZ 85756 | (866)332-9467 |
We-Ko-Pa Casino & Resort | Tucson | 1992 | 800+ slot games, eight table game options, and a live poker room | 10438 Wekopa Way, Fort McDowell, AZ 85264 | (480)789-5300 |
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino | Fountain Hills | 1994 | 1,135 slot machines, nine table game options, as well as bingo and keno | 15406 N Maricopa Rd, Maricopa, AZ 85139 | (480)802-5000 |
Hon-Dah Resort Casino | Pinetop-Lakeside | 1993 | Multiple blackjack and poker tables | 777 AZ-260, Pinetop, AZ 85935 | (928)369-0299 |
Lone Butte Casino | Chandler | 1994 | 1,200+ slot machines and three table game options | 1077 S Kyrene Rd, Chandler, AZ 85226 | (800)946-4452 |
Mazatzal Casino | Payson | 1993 | Multiple slot and blackjack tables | Highway 87, Mile Marker 251, Payson, AZ 85541 | (928)474-6044 |
Paradise Casino | Yuma | 1996 | 500+ slot games and multiple blackjack, roulette, and craps tables | 450 Quechan Dr, Yuma, AZ 85364 | (888)777-4946 |
Spirit Mountain Casino | Mohave Valley | 1995 | 250+ slot machines, 28 in-house progressive slots, and multiple video poker and keno machines | 8555 AZ-95, Mohave Valley, AZ 86440 | (928)346-2000 |
Talking Stick Resort & Casino | Scottsdale | 2010 | 900+ slot games, three table game options, and Arizona’s largest live poker room | 9800 Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 | (480)850-7777 |
Twin Arrows Casino Resort | Flagstaff | 2013 | 1,100+ slot machines and five table game options | 22181 Resort Blvd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 | (855)946-8946 |
Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino | Laveen | 1997 | 1,300 slot games and tables for blackjack, craps, and roulette | 15091 S Komatke Ln, Laveen Village, AZ 85339 | (800)946-4452 |
Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino | Chandler | 1995 | 1,100+ slot machines and 20 types of table games available | 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85226 | (800)946-4452 |
Yavapai Casino | Prescott | 1992 | Multiple slot and blackjack games available | 1505 E, AZ-69, Prescott, AZ 86301 | (928)445-5767 |
The Best Casino in AZ – Here’s Our TOP 10
If you want our opinion on the best casinos in Arizona, we’ve got you covered. We’ve ranked the top ten casino resorts in the Grand Canyon State, based on the customer experience. This spans everything from the range of casino games on offer, the furnishings of the casino floor, and the on-site amenities and accommodation.
- Talking Stick Resort & Casino
The Talking Stick Casino offers one of the most vibrant casino floors in the state. Combine that with an overnight stay at its Four-Diamond hotel and it’s easy to see why so many rate the Talking Stick as the hottest casino experience in Arizona.
Talking Stick features the largest land-based poker room in the Grand Canyon State, which is home to the Arizona State Poker Championship and its million-dollar prize pool. There’s also a bundle of table games, progressive jackpot slots, and even a high-limit room for “VIP” guests. - Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino
Harrah’s Ak-Chin is one of the most remote casino resorts in Arizona. Located 39 miles due south of Phoenix in Maricopa, this resort is owned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Since opening in 1994, the Ak-Chin Casino has undergone two impressive expansions in 2011 and 2018 respectively.
The latter was to redefine Ak-Chin’s entertainment capabilities, with a new 18,000 square feet arena suitable for live shows, as well as conferences and seminars. From a gaming perspective, there are all kinds of table games, slots, bingo, keno, and much more. There’s also an in-house Caesars Sportsbook for all your sports betting needs. - Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
Gila River Resorts & Casinos’ Wild Horse Pass resort is another hugely popular casino destination due south of Phoenix. The resort is an AAA Four Diamond Award recipient, thanks to its plush, well-appointed hotel rooms, a choice of seven sumptuous restaurants, and plenty of gaming options on tap.
That includes over 100,000 square feet of casino gaming floor space, featuring multiple table games and over 1,110 “interactive” slot machines. There’s also a five-star therapeutic spa on-site, with treatments inspired by time-honored Native American healing practices. - Casino Del Sol Resort & Casino
Dubbed Tucson’s “premier casino and entertainment venue”, the Casino Del Sol offers all the casino gaming and sports betting you can imagine under one roof.
Its casino floor contains more than 1,300 slot machines and you can play plenty of tables games too. It even has its own poker room, with ten tables offering a range of cash games and tournaments daily. From an entertainment perspective, the resort’s AVA Amphitheater regularly hosts headline live music acts. Meanwhile, the adjacent Sewailo Golf Course is one of the best on offer in the Grand Canyon State. - Casino Arizona
If you’re in Scottsdale, the hottest gaming action can be found at Casino Arizona. The resort is independently owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, with 20 acres of gaming, dining, and entertainment up for grabs. There are plenty of live table games, as well as high-octane Keno and slot action.
Sports bettors can also head over to the Starz Sports Bar to get the best view of all the live-action. There’s also a 250-seater Showroom on-site, offering some of the best cabaret entertainment this side of Las Vegas. - Twin Arrows Casino
Located just off the classic Route 66 in Flagstaff, the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort is one of the most decadent gaming and entertainment experiences in the Grand Canyon State. The official website describes its casino floor as “one wild ride” and we’re inclined to agree.
There are all kinds of table games, over 1,100 state-of-the-art video slots, and a Players Club that offers some of the best player comps and promotions in the state. You’re not short of dining options on-site either. There’s fine dining to be found at the Zenith Steakhouse, while the Sports Bar and Four Elements Café are best served for quick, light bites. - Desert Diamond Hotel & Casino (Tucson)
Tucson’s Desert Diamond Hotel & Casino is the best of the three Desert Diamond resorts in the Grand Canyon State, although the others in West Valley and Sahuarita are also well worth a visit. Roulette, craps, EZ baccarat, and blackjack are just a handful of table games up for grabs here.
There are plenty of places to eat, drink, and socialize too. The Diamond Café is your go-to for light bites, while the Ko:Sin Ki: Buffet and the Diamond Grill are a great choice for heartier meals. - Chandler Lone Butte Gila River Hotel & Casino
Dubbed East Valley’s “Hub of Fun”, Gila River’s Lone Butte Hotel & Casino is another fun and reliable place to enjoy a gaming stay in Chandler, Arizona. Open 24/7, Lone Butte contains over 1,200 video slot machines. It also offers a choice of up to 20 classic and variant table games.
Lone Butte is also home to the best poker room in East Valley, with 30 tables and a private entrance to the poker room, ideal for cash game and tournament players. - We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort
Fort McDowell is also home to the impressive We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, which is considered an “oasis” in the heart of the Arizona desert. It describes itself as Arizona’s “greatest gaming floor” and with good reason.
There are more than 166,000 square feet of entertainment. Its table games offer something for entry-level and seasoned players alike, with bet limits ranging from $5 to $100. It also has over 800 innovative slot machines, a 750-seat bingo hall, and multiple sports betting kiosks available to bet at the WKP Sportsbook, which is powered by Betfred Sports. - Blue Water Resort & Casino
The Blue Water Resort & Casino is one of the most unique in the Grand Canyon State. It’s the only casino resort hotel located on the Colorado River. Operated by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Blue Water in Parker continues to appeal to cultural and recreational tourists to the region. Many household slot games can be found on the casino floor here, while table games are operated 4 pm till midnight Sunday to Thursday and 4 pm till 2 am Friday to Saturday.
Casinos by Cities
The three main cities in Arizona where you’ll find land-based casinos are Phoenix, Tucson, and Mesa. These cities are home to the state’s leading resort casinos, where you’ll not only find a comprehensive spread of table games and slots, but access to many other forms of entertainment from live music to fine dining venues.
The Best Casinos in Phoenix, Arizona
- Casino Arizona Scottsdale
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community - Desert Diamond Casino West Valley Glendale
Tohono O’odham Nation - Scottsdale Talking Stick Resort & Casino
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community - Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino
Ak-Chin Indian Community
The Best Casinos in Tucson, Arizona
- Casino Del Sol & Resort Tucson
Pascua Yaqui Tribe - Desert Diamond Casino Tucson
Tohono O’odham Nation - Desert Diamond Casino Sahuarita
Tohono O’odham Nation - We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
The Best Casinos in Mesa, Arizona
- Laveen Gila River Hotel & Casino – Vee Quiva
Gila River Indian Community - Chandler Wild Horse Pass Casino & Resort
Gila River Indian Community - Chandler Lone Butte Gila River Hotel & Casino
Gila River Indian Community
New Casino in Arizona
If you’re looking for a new casino in Arizona, look no further than the Apache Sky Casino. Owned by the San Carlos Apache Tribe, it is the sister resort of the Apache Gold Casino. The Apache Sky Casino formally opened its doors in April 2017, with the 170-acre site located at the southern end of the San Carlos Apache Nation.
As you might expect from a new casino in Arizona, the Apache Sky Casino contains hundreds of state-of-the-art high-energy slot machines, including a string of progressives. There’s also a stylish Sky Bar and the Apache Sky patio where DJs play long into the night.
There’s also the Fort McDowell Casino which originally launched in 1992. It is one of the latest casinos to undergo a comprehensive refurbishment. It relaunched and rebranded its brand-new casino floor in October 2020. Its new casino entertainment facility costs in the region of $120 million, providing 166,341 square feet of prime-grade gaming space. The We-Ko-Pa Casino now offers more than 900 slot games, multiple table game variants, as well as a dedicated poker room and bingo hall.
The We-Ko-Pa Casino also features nine on-site eateries and bars, ensuring nightlife for guests of the Tucson resort.
Plans are afoot for a brand-new casino resort in Chandler, with the Gila River Indian Community ring-fencing $100 million for a 580-acre project providing world-class casino gaming, as well as a golf course and hotel with spa facilities.
Our Pick For The Best Sportsbooks in Arizona
The Legal Situation of Online Casino in Arizona
At the time of writing, Arizona’s online gambling legislation focuses squarely on regulated sports betting. Prior to Arizona’s legalization of sports betting, some 25 US states and the District of Columbia had already launched their own regulated sports betting markets. Subsequently, it had been a long wait for sports fans to get access to legal sportsbooks in Arizona.
The bill for legal sports betting in Arizona had been five years in the making. Governor Doug Ducey eventually signed the bill into law in April 2021, with established sportsbook operators such as FanDuel and Caesars Sportsbook quickly confirming their arrival in the Grand Canyon State.
Arizonans are no strangers to gambling. In fact, it has been something of a tradition for generations in the Grand Canyon State. Prior to World War II, locals were permitted to bet on horse racing and greyhound events as a matter of course via pari-mutuel betting operators.
Several decades later, the US Congress approved the state’s Native American tribes to utilize their land to build and operate land-based casino facilities. Arizona was one of a handful of US states to underpin the “boom” of tribal casinos back in the 1990s.
Nevertheless, the legalization of online casinos is not something that’s been on the agenda of the state legislature. Although online sports betting in Arizona and daily fantasy sports has been legalized since 2021, there is no sign of online casinos being next on the expansion list.
It took Governor Ducey five years to negotiate the tribal gaming compact amendment with the state’s tribal casino operators. Ducey described these negotiations as a “culmination of years of partnership and engagement” among the state’s tribal stakeholders. Although Governor Ducey said that this gaming compact amendment pushes “individual agendas aside” and puts “Arizona first”, the prospect of the state’s tribal casino operators agreeing to online casinos that could potentially put their brick-and-mortar sites in jeopardy seems unlikely for now.
The reality is that online casino gaming remains prohibited in the Grand Canyon State – at least for the time being. Although there is no specific legislation that deems iGaming illegal in Arizona, that doesn’t make it legal either. There are no legalized and regulated online casinos in Arizona. Any online casino that wishes to provide real-money casino gaming online to the citizens of Arizona will be located offshore.
The problem with playing at unregulated offshore sites is three-fold. First and foremost, you get no firm assurances that the money you deposit into your online casino account will ever be returned to you – or indeed any subsequent winnings derived from your initial deposit. With no regulatory body existing to provide oversight to the citizens of Arizona, you are depositing funds entirely at your own risk with an offshore online casino.
Secondly, when you choose to sign up and play at an offshore online casino that’s located outside the US, the operator is no longer bound by consumer protections, as well as state and federal legislation. Although many offshore sites are licensed and regulated by iGaming jurisdictions in certain nations, this is of no use to you when gambling online in the Grand Canyon State.
Last and by no means least, when registering with an unregulated offshore online casino, you’ll be required to provide sensitive personal and financial data. Are you comfortable giving your data to an offshore operator with no legal obligation to safeguard it? In the event your bank account details or personal information were to be lost due to a cyber attack, there is very little in the way of support available if your offshore operator is compromised.
If the state legislature decides to legalize and regulate online casinos in Arizona, you should look to play with an operator that’s licensed by the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG). The ADG oversees all other forms of gambling activity in the Grand Canyon State and handles the state’s relationship with all tribal operators.
The Importance of Responsible Gaming in AZ
The premise of gambling is that it should always be fun. You shouldn’t be feeling stressed about your gaming, whether it’s at the tables or on your favorite slot machines. Nor should you be worried about chasing your losses or wagering more than you can afford to lose.
That’s why the most reputable casino operators in Arizona offer a range of responsible gaming measures, designed to put your interests first. Self-exclusion is one avenue you may wish to explore. This procedure allows you to self-ban yourself from any Native American Gaming Facility in the Grand Canyon State.
If you acknowledge yourself as a problem gambler and wish to self-exclude, the procedure restricts your access to any Class III tribal gaming activity within the state of Arizona.
The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) offers a string of resources and information to provide education and support for those potentially impacted by problem gambling.
The ADA subsidizes outpatient problem gambling treatment for individuals with a gambling problem, as well as those whose lives have been affected by a problem gambler, be it a friend or family member. Reach out to ADG’s Problem Gambling to access the organization’s 24-hour helpline and its on-site resources.