By featuring an open floor plan, banquet areas suitable for large weddings and a white – yes, a whitened – roulette wheel, the new Santan Mountain Casino in Chandler aims to become an outstanding entertainment center for the local community when it opens on June 25.
The public got a first glimpse of the $180 million casino complex last week. Construction took approximately two years to complete. While June 25 is confirmed as the opening date, the Gila River Group, the operator of the casino, may have a soft launch before that date.
Located at the corner of Gilbert Road and Hunt Freeway, the new Santan Mountain Casino will be the tribe’s third casino.
Gambling establishment will home a eating place that will employ locally-sourced meals
Sixteen Arizona tribes operate 24 Class III casinos statewide. Online casinos for real money are still prohibited in Arizona. However, with the success of online sports betting in Arizona, lawmakers may be considering expanding the current approval to include online casinos in the near future.
Blake Katsnelson, the general manager of Santan Mountain, stated in an interview with the East Valley Tribune that the casino aims to fill an entertainment gap in the area.
“Our main focus is the residents and the locals who are here, giving them something to do. Within a 15-mile radius, there isn’t really anything out there apart from downtown Gilbert. There’s really nothing from an entertainment standpoint. So that was our goal when we chose this location.”
Santan Mountain features over 800 slot machines on the gaming floor and more than 25 table games. It is the first casino in Arizona to open after the passage of the expanded tribal gambling compact, which allows for legal gambling and options like craps and roulette.
There will be a three-restaurant food court and a standalone restaurant called Honey and Vine. H&V promises to use locally-sourced ingredients from the Gila River Indian Community.
The casino will also include what is being touted as Arizona’s largest casino sportsbook, operated by BetMGM Arizona.
At least for now, the Gila River Group does not have plans to add a hotel to the casino.
Santan Huge batch gives Gila a bigger impact in Phoenix, az area
Santan Mountain will join its sister properties, Wild Horse Pass Casino and Lone Butte Casino, in providing entertainment options in Chandler. The tribe’s Vee Quiva Casino is located in Laveen, approximately 25 miles away.
In January, Gila River Tribe Governor Stephen Roe Lewis expressed his confidence in adding a new establishment to the area. He stated to KTAR News:
“Not only will Santan Mountain bring additional revenue, stability and essential services to the community members, it will enhance our reputation in the gambling and hospitality industry as we continue to build an entertainment dynasty.”
Santan Huge batch will be possessing a job reasonable to fill up positions in the casino
There is talk of an opening concert to celebrate the June 30th launch of Santan Mountain, but no artist has been announced yet. The casino management will soon organize a job fair to fill some of the estimated 700 available positions.
To alleviate the expected traffic congestion, the city of Chandler is installing a traffic light at the intersection of Gilbert and Hunt Highway. Jason Crampton, the city’s senior transportation planner, expressed concerns about traffic in the area.
“The expectation, based on the traffic studies I’ve seen, is that it’s not going to overwhelm the system down there. It’s going to add a few thousand trips, probably, but it’s not going to overload the arterial roads.”
Santan Mountain won’t be the newest casino in Arizona for long. Desert Diamond Casinos is currently constructing a new casino in Chandler near Loop 303 and Northern Avenue, with an expected opening in late 2024.
Darren Cooper, a journalist and columnist from Southern Louisiana who began his career at the New Orleans Times-Picayune and has been writing in New Jersey since 1998. He has earned 14 statewide press prizes and attained his initial Associated Push Sports Publishers Top 10 honor in 2022.
