Statewide tribal contributions increased for a fifth consecutive quarter, acording to the Arizona Department of Gaming. Tribal contributions to the State from gaming revenue will be approximately $25.6 million for the quarter ending September 30, 2015.
This is a 6.4 percent increase when compared to the same quarter of last year.
The Arizona Department of Gaming, in partnership with Arizona’s tribes, regulates Indian gaming. Under the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compact, tribes with casinos contribute one to eight percent of their Class III gross gaming revenue to the state, cities, towns and counties. In Arizona, Class III gaming includes slot machines, jackpot poker, blackjack, keno and off-track pari-mutuel betting. There are currently 23 Class III casinos in the state. Tribes send contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund every three months.
“An over 6-percent increase in Gaming revenues, shows how important working relationships with Tribal Gaming partners are and just how much proper regulation means to the patrons who visit the State’s 23 Class III Casinos.” said Daniel Bergin, Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. “We feel our rigorous standards directly relate to the confidence players feel when visiting gaming facilities around the State.”
The quarterly tribal contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund will be distributed as follows:
| Instructional Improvement Fund/Education | $12,776,904 |
| Trauma and Emergency Services Fund | $6,388,452 |
| Arizona Department of Gaming operating costs | $2,307,226 |
| Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund | $1,825,272 |
| State Tourism Fund | $1,825,272 |
| Problem Gambling Education, Treatment and Prevention | $512,717 |
| TOTAL tribal contributions for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 | $25,635,843 |