The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation was the first Arizona tribe to offer bingo, starting in 1982.

Photo courtesy of We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort

Saturday, Oct. 29, will mark the 40th anniversary of the introduction of gaming in Arizona, an initiative led by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation when it opened Ba’Ja Bingo in 1984.

The tribal council president at the time, Dr. Clinton M. Pattea, helped lead the way for the success of tribal gaming in Arizona and throughout the U.S., according to a press release.

His vision for the future of tribal gaming continues to help guide planning and decision-making today.

Pattea was the father of Sandra Pattea who was inaugurated as president of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation last February.

Her grandfather also served on the tribal council, illustrating a multi-generational legacy of service and dedication to the community.

The history of gaming in Arizona

In the early 1980s, after a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision eliminated legal obstacles, tribes around the nation began offering bingo to generate revenue.

This included the Seminole Tribe of Florida who opened a bingo hall in 1979 and the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin who followed suit shortly thereafter.

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation was the first Arizona tribe to offer bingo, starting in 1982.

In 1984, they opened Ba’Ja Bingo, the first bingo parlor in Arizona – on the site of the former Fort McDowell Casino – to create new jobs and generate much-needed revenue for the tribe.

It was an enormous success from the beginning, the press release read, and over time, the facility was expanded to accommodate slot machines, card tables, restaurants and more.

Gaming today

Fort McDowell led the way in gaming in Arizona with the opening of Ba’ Ja Bingo 40 years ago and established the legal and market foundations for future expanded gaming in the Phoenix market.

Today, there are 28 Indian casinos owned and operated by 16 Arizona tribes throughout the state and the Phoenix market will soon contain 10 Las Vegas-style casinos alone.

The new state-of-the-art casino at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, unveiled in October 2020, offers 930 slot machines, a variety of table games including blackjack, poker and roulette, sports betting at WKP Sportsbook and bingo in a 100% smoke-free room that seats 750.

Bingo remains popular particularly among older generations and continues to provide jobs for tribal members as well as non-Indians, the release said.

“Given our location and small size, it’s always been difficult to implement successful economic development strategies that provide employment for our people, generate revenue to support our tribal government and provide essential services to our tribal members,” said Sandra Pattea, president of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. “Gaming was a form of entertainment that we felt could anchor other hospitality businesses we had been planning.

“Our We-Ko-Pa Resort, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, Eagle View RV Park and Fort McDowell Adventures all contribute to the growth of the We-Ko-Pa Casino and vice versa.”

During her first six months in office, Pattea has focused on Indian gaming, casino operations, government department operations, enterprise and government budget oversight and budget allocation, monthly regular tribal council meetings with tribal members and numerous local, state and federal government meetings.

“To be president of my tribe means that I am following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather who both served on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Tribal Council,” added Pattea. “It is my hope that with my years of professional work experience, I will bring new ideas and lead to make changes that will benefit my community.”

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is an 880-member Native American tribe that calls Central Arizona’s upper Sonoran Desert home.

Located to the northeast of Phoenix, the 40-square mile reservation is a small part of the ancestral territory of the once nomadic Yavapai people, who hunted and gathered food in a vast area of Arizona’s desert lowlands and mountainous Mogollon Rim country.

The tribe operates a variety of enterprises including the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, Fort McDowell Adventures, Eagle View RV Resort, Baja Gas, Yavapai Materials and the Tribal Farm.