Statewide tribal contributions for the quarter ending December 31, 2016, totaled just over $14.5 million; a 4.3 percent decrease when compared to the same quarter last fiscal year, according to the Arizona Department of Gaming.
Tribal contributions provide supplemental funding for Arizona’s schools, trauma and emergency care, tourism, and wildlife conservation efforts.
The Department is unable to determine the extent of any impact the new West Valley casino has had on statewide gaming numbers, as it is not currently regulated by the Department. “Any revenue generated by that location is not shared with the State.”
Since the Tribal-State Compacts went into effect in 2003, Arizona Tribes have contributed over $1.2 billion to the state of Arizona and its cities, towns, and counties.
The quarterly tribal contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund will be distributed as follows:
| Instructional Improvement Fund/Education | $7,170,169 |
| Trauma and Emergency Services Fund | $3,585,085 |
| Arizona Department of Gaming operating costs | $1,469,092 |
| Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund | $1,024,310 |
| State Tourism Fund | $1,024,310 |
| Problem Gambling Education, Treatment and Prevention | $291,285 |
| TOTAL tribal contributions for the quarter ending December 31, 2016 | $14,564,251 |
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.