Desert Diamond Casino has signed a 10-year deal to have its name on one of Arizona’s largest concert venues, the Gila River Arena. The new name, Desert Diamond Arena, could grace the building in the next 60 days, according to the casino’s CEO, Mike Bean.
Officials from Desert Diamond Casino -owned and operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation– and ASM Global -operators of the arena in the Westgate Entertainment District next to Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium- announced the deal on Tuesday.
The move comes three years after Desert Diamond opened its flagship casino in Glendale, located less than a mile from the arena. The West Valley casino averages 500,000 visitors a year, Bean said according to Tucson.com, which is nearly double the number of people who visit Desert Diamond’s two casinos in the Tucson area.
Desert Diamond Casino's CEO Mike Bean.
Bean pointed out that the 223-acre Westgate Entertainment District is “a big part” of the tourist drive to the area, as it includes dozens of restaurants, bars and shopping. The CEO did not say how much the casino is paying for the naming rights. However, a similar deal struck in 2006 by the online recruiting company Jobing.com was inked for $1 million a year, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
The City of Glendale built the $220 million multi-purpose arena in 2002 for the Phoenix Coyotes NHL franchise. The hockey team left the arena at the end of the 2021-2022 season last April when the City of Glendale refused to renew the team’s lease.
Desert Diamond Casino in Arizona
Back in February, the Coyotes signed a deal to play at Arizona State University’s all-purpose arena at least through 2025. With the hockey team gone, the arena will have more flexibility to book entertainment acts, which Bean said will be a boon to the Tohono O’odham’s flagship casino.
“The goal is to provide and bring more entertainment to the arena and that will bring more people to the casino,” he explained, and added that the arena will undergo some facilities upgrades to improve the guest experience. No details were disclosed.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2022/08/25/63971-arizona-desert-diamond-casino-inks-10year-deal-to-rename-the-gila-river-arena
