Anti-betting lawsuit challenged by Arizona tribes

The Yavapai Prescott Indian tribe in Arizona are suing to prohibit sports betting starting on September 9th. The Tonto Apache and Quechan tribes are attempting to stop it

The casinos operated by the Tonto Apache tribe and the Quechan tribe are the Mazatzal Casino and the Paradise Casino respectively. The tribes are situated in Payson and Fort Yuma.

House Bill 2772 provides sports betting licences to 10 sports franchises and ten tribes. The Yavapai Prescott Indian tribe petitioned the Maricopa County Superior Court last week to block the implementation of House Bill 2772, which would enable licensees to begin collecting wagers later this week on September 9.

On Monday, the matter was scheduled to be heard in court.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and 20 of Arizona’s 22 federally recognised tribes had previously negotiated a revised gaming compact, which was authorised by the US Department of Interior in May, which the suit is also looking to void.

By amending the agreement, the tribes will be permitted to expand their casinos and offer additional table games like as baccarat and craps, in addition to existing ones.

The Yavapai Prescott allege that the law is unconstitutional and that the expansion and additional wagering possibilities provided by the bill and modified agreement will unjustly harm the tribe.

According to the Tonto Apache and Quechan tribes’ representatives, Rosette, LLP, the Yavapai Prescott leaders’ did not engage with the government throughout the legislative process.

The tribe is “pursuing a desperate, 11th-hour strategy that would unfairly penalize tribes that played by the rules and adhered to the terms and conditions,” it added.

Tonto Apache chairman Calvin Johnson said: “The truth is that we spent five years in painstaking, good-faith negotiations with the Governor and the Department of Gaming to protect our interests and ensure that our amended compact provides the best possible economic benefits for our people.

“We sought to engage Yavapai leaders in developing strategies that would benefit small, like-minded tribes like ours, but they declined, saying they would simply sue if they were unhappy with the outcome of negotiations.”

State Senator T.J. Shope, who sponsored the legislation, called it a fair and equitable law and criticized the Yavapai’s attempts to block its progress.

“I expect any legal challenges to be quickly dismissed so that the economic opportunities already happening as the result of Tribal-State Gaming Compact Amendment can continue to materialize,” Shope said.

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