Potential sites for casinos eyed

Friday, April 1, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation is considering 10 potential sites for casinos, though the tribe is only likely to build six, the tribal president said.

An ongoing feasibility study is looking at gaming competition, tourist traffic, populations, income levels -- among other factors -- around potential casino sites.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said it's too early to say which sites might be selected. "It's anybody's guess where the sites will be identified at this point," Shirley said.

Shirley said officials believe six casinos will be enough to generate revenue for the tribe, whose reservation covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, without diluting their potential.

He said he'd like to see construction begin in mid- to late summer.

A 1994 study by a consultant to the tribe identified four potential sites at Shiprock and Navajo, N.M., and LeChee, Ariz., on the shores of Lake Powell, and Cameron, Ariz., on the way to the Grand Canyon.

Shirley said the tribe is now advertising for a Navajo gaming director to run the Navajo Gaming Regulatory Office, which will regulate gaming within the Navajo Nation but won't operate casinos.

The Navajo Division of Economic Development also is working with a consultant to draft the tribe's gaming regulations.

The tribe must be in charge of the casinos, and individual Navajo communities won't be able to sign contracts with casino operators, Shirley said.

"I believe the casinos are going to have to be a national operation," he said, referring to the central Navajo government. "It's not going to work if there's a casino in every chapter."

Officials must devise a revenue-sharing formula to determine how casino revenue will be divided between the tribe and the host community, Shirley said.