And they want a piece of it. Neither the state nor the tribes will comment on what tribal gaming revenues actually are. And it is three times larger than the state's main entry in the gambling race, the Lottery. The current take for the urban tribes, however, is barely more than half of what it might be in just a few years if ongoing negotiations with the governor's aides pan out. Under new compacts that increase the number of slot machines in the metro Phoenix area, the same racetrack-sponsored study projects tribal gaming revenues in the metro area to nearly double within a few years.
Current compacts permit several large tribes to run as many as four casinos.
In exchange, the tribes seek the ability to transfer rights to slot machines. About 3,400 slots are not in use now because they are allocated to tribes with no market. Transferring slot machine rights will give the poor rural tribes a cut of the action, advocates argue. And they want exclusivity. Tribes know off-reservation interests covet their gambling monopoly, and they seek to fend them off.