Gila River Resorts & Casinos is celebrating its 30th anniversary commemorating an incredible milestone for the Gila River Indian Community. What started as a humble one room casino with 200+ slot machines, has transformed into a booming organization becoming the largest gaming enterprise in the state of Arizona.
Opening in the summer of 1994, a mission and vision was created to help fill an economic void for the Gila River Indian Community. With the legalization of gambling in the state of Arizona, opportunity was on the horizon to bring much needed support for the community. With unsure expectations of what the future could hold, Gila River Gaming Enterprise embarked on the opportunity of a lifetime.
Three decades later, Gila River Resorts & Casinos is a gaming powerhouse operating four properties including Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, Vee Quiva and Santan Mountain. The resorts at Wild Horse Pass and Vee Quiva are Four Diamond accredited and offer spectacular amenities from rooftop fine dining to gorgeous pools. All four locations are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, offering a combination of slots, live table games and BetMGM Sportsbooks. The Wild Horse Pass location has an entertainment venue, The Showroom, which features A-list entertainment as well as the only indoor Topgolf Swing Suite in the state of Arizona.
“We are humbled and proud to reach such an incredible milestone,” said Kenneth Manuel, CEO of Gila River Resorts & Casinos. “Over the past thirty years, we have expanded the gaming rules and created thousands of jobs. Every person that has ever been a team member has contributed to the success of the enterprise. Not one person could have accomplished this alone, but as a team, we have accomplished tremendous growth and prosperity for the enterprise and the Gila River Indian Community.”
Through growth within the enterprise and community, came growth across the state. This evolution caused major visibility through partnerships with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Coyotes, Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns and ASU Athletics. This allowed for messaging and branding to be shared with people who may not have been previously exposed to the gaming enterprise. These key partnerships current and former, helped grow the gaming and hospitality audience in the local market.
Additionally, Gila River Cares was created to continue that brand awareness through philanthropic giving. Funds are distributed annually to nonprofits across that state that support communities in need.
“I am proud to have grown up in the Gila River Indian Community and I have seen firsthand how the community has benefited from gaming,” said Manuel. “It brings me a lot of pride and joy to see the success we have accomplished. I am grateful for the incredible mentors who took me under their wing to help me along my journey to become CEO. I owe my success to so many people who were instrumental in my development which resulted in the tremendous economic impact on the community.”
With aspirations of continued the growth, the enterprise was rewarded for all of their hard work making a name for themselves in the gaming industry. With accolades such as Ranking Arizona’s top casino for 2024 to Newsweek’s best overall casino outside of Las Vegas for 2024, there are no signs of slowing down for the enterprise.
For more information about Gila River Casinos, visit www.playatgila.com.
