Arizona Indian Gaming Association splits over West Valley casino

Leaders of the Gila River Indian Community and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community split from the Arizona Indian Gaming Association during a meeting in Sacaton. With their departures, the association is left with 16 member tribes.

The action exposes a public division among the state's tribes and will alter the next round of negotiations with state officials concerning gaming compacts.

The move was in response to the association's inaction concerning development of a new casino at the edge of Glendale by the Tohono O'odham Nation, a southern Arizona tribe, according to letters Gila River and Salt River leaders presented to the association.

"Actions of the Tohono O'odham Nation to secretly develop a casino in direct opposition to the promises made by AIGA and other tribes has destroyed AIGA's unity and undermined the principles of the organization," Salt River President Delbert W. Ray Jr. and Vice President Martin Harvier wrote.

The Gila River and Salt River communities are within their rights to withdraw from the association, but their actions are inconsistent with the goals of promoting tribal gaming and unifying the state's tribes in that effort, the Tohono O'odham said in a released statement.

"The Tohono O'odham Nation will continue to support AIGA's mission and efforts," the statement said.