Statewide tribal contributions, for the quarter ending September 30, 2016, came in in at a total of $25.1 million, which represents slightly less than a two percent decrease compared to the same quarter in 2015, according to the Arizona Department of Gaming.
“Through the first quarter of the State’s current fiscal year, we have already been able to disburse over $25 million to various State agencies, via these quarterly contributions,” said Daniel Bergin, Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. “Those disbursements help fund a variety of programs, from promoting State tourism, to education, to wildlife conservation efforts.”
Bergin added, “As we noted in our August release, 2016 saw the first instance of a casino operating in the Valley that does not share its revenue with the State. As the facility is not regulated by the Department, it makes it impossible to determine its true impact on statewide gaming numbers. Regardless of any such impact, regulated casinos will continue to provide millions in additional State funding each year.”
While this represents the third consecutive quarter in which the State has experienced a slight decline in tribal contributions, Bergin noted that the trend appears to be slowing. “We are hopeful that we will see a positive change in the near future.”
The quarterly tribal contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund will be distributed as follows:
| Instructional Improvement Fund/Education | $12,528,283 |
| Trauma and Emergency Services Fund | $6,264,142 |
| Arizona Department of Gaming operating costs | $2,262,330 |
| Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund | $1,789,755 |
| State Tourism Fund | $1,789,755 |
| Problem Gambling Education, Treatment and Prevention | $502,740 |
| TOTAL tribal contributions for the quarter ending Sept 30, 2016 | $25,137,005 |
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.