Gila River Casino

This place is just ok. RVs and trucks must park in a specific area which is paved, level, and well-lit. Spaces are marked and very narrow which is routine for truckers but RVers will find this to be close (very close) and uncomfortable especially if you are next to a truck idling all night. The casino is clean, very well-ventilated, one of the few that we've not left the building reeking of smoke. There is no buffet but we had two good meals: one in the food court, the other in one of the restaurants. Food service staff seem a bit bumbling and unsure of themselves. My conclusion: Management pictures this as an upscale place that merely tolerates RVs and trucks. Next time in the Phoenix area we will probably try the Talking Stick or another casino.

Stayed here on March 22,2013 in a motorhome. Large paved lot with about 50 parking narrow spots in rear of hotel. With steps out you were over the lines. Some RV's had all slides out taking two and three spots. Lots of semis with their engines running all night. No buffet in casino but had a food court and three restaurants.

Report from Sean Welsh, March 12, 2010

Tonight we are at the new Wild Horse Pass Casino Hotel, south of Phoenix, AZ (photos attached). This is the "new" new casino, which just opened in November of 2009, not the "old" new casino that opened in 2007. The "old" casino, new as it was, has been closed and turned over to the tribe for other purposes. (See this news item: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2009/11/13/20091113biz-cr-casino1114.html )

At the old casino, RV parking was permitted (or perhaps tolerated) in the northeast lot with no restrictions on length of stay, or much else, really. Many folks "moved in" and set up camp there, with all that entails. I lamented this on my blog, here: http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2008/03/wild-horses.html

It seems that we, as a community, will now reap what we have sown. The new casino hotel has severely limited RV parking. For starters, it is restricted to a single lot, shared with buses, that is specially striped. The striped spaces are only wide enough for a rig, with no slides. Of 32 spaces in the lot, only four could accommodate extended slides, since they adjoin wedge-shaped no-parking areas between spaces. That did not stop at least three rigs from simply taking up two spaces to extend their slides (see photos) and several rigs from using an extra RV space for their toads, so real capacity will likely be less than the 32 spaces. An additional eight spaces in the same lot are permanently marked "reserved" and are being used for the casino's shuttle buses.

The new rules permit parking for a maximum of 48 hours,and are clearly stated as "no camping." Things like lawn chairs, mats, and BBQ grills are explicitly forbidden. RVs must park in the specially designated lot. All these rules are clearly spelled out on a large sign at the entrance to the lot, see photo.

The new casino/hotel complex itself is very nice. There are four fast-food venues arranged in a food court, including Italian, Mexican, a deli, and a burger stand. There is also a sit-down Asian-themed restaurant with moderate entree prices, and an outlet of the upscale and very expensive Shula's steakhouse chain. A bar across from the second-floor Shula's serves the Shula's appetizer menu for lighter bites in a hip setting. There is *no* buffet in the new casino, as there had been in the old one.

I can't speak to the pay tables of the games, but I know there are about 25% more machines in the new venue compared to the old, just over 1,000.

In summary, this is a nice place to stop for the night while passing through. If you need to extend slides, spend a few days, or wish to spend time outside your rig, perhaps it is not for you.

I am attaching some photos of the new parking area.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com