SAN CARLOS, Ariz. – The Apache Stronghold Golf Course, part of the Apache Gold Casino Resort, has reopened after being shut down temporarily in February.
The course was in all regards a community project. Nearly 100 San Carlos Apache tribal members helped build it and many took jobs there when it opened in 1999. Designed by “minimalist” architect Tom Doak, it harmonizes with the natural landscape, which is in accordance with the tribe’s respect for the earth.
The high-desert 7,500-yard, par-72 course, offering vistas of the Chiricahua, Aravaipa, Superstition and White Mountains, has been a hit among golfers and golf critics. In 2002, it ranked 14th in Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine’s “America’s 100 Best Courses for $100 or Less.” In 2005, it topped the list of Golfweek Magazine’s “America’s Best Courses for Arizona.”
But the bad economy has taken its toll on the casino. In February, it announced it was cutting nine percent of its workforce and temporarily shutting down the course.
“We had to do some cost-cutting, and that was one of the areas we had to do that,” said Scott Wilson, the casino’s general manager. “Plus, there was some stuff on the maintenance side – we had to let the course heal a little bit.”
The course reopened April 1 and it will remain open, operating with its normal days and hours. That will be good news for golfers who missed playing there during the closure.
The casino also shut down its keno operation in February, and it will remain closed. “The play wasn’t there; it was really down. We had to make a business decision on that,” Wilson said.
Tribal casinos across Arizona have experienced significant declines in revenue due to the recession. Apache Gold, however, may be suffering a bit more than the other 22 casinos.
“I think San Carlos is a little bit special in terms of their location. They are in very rural Arizona. Their prime markets are very local,” said Sheila Morago, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.
San Carlos is located in the southeast part of the state, an area known for its copper mines. The copper boom ended last year when the prices for metals started to fall, resulting in massive job shedding.
Morago said Arizona tribal casinos have seen three consecutive quarters of revenue decline, with the most recent being 16 percent. “We are definitely taking some hits on the revenue side, but our facilities and operations are doing a great job at running a little leaner, keeping people employed – not doing any layoffs.”
Running leaner has meant taking a hard look at budgets. Morago said the casinos are doing more targeted, retention-focused marketing, zeroing in on people who, even though have less money to gamble with, will come back.
Save for Apache Gold, she has not heard of any casino in the state that has had to cut back on or discontinue amenities like event centers, golf courses and spas. If anything, more are on the way. The new $200 million Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Gila River is on track to open later this year, and the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community’s Casino Arizona Resort & Spa is set to make its debut in 2010.
No matter what state they are in, tribal casinos are facing similar pain from the economic slump. While some have been forced to cut jobs, many are doing everything possible to avoid handing out pink slips. Vacant positions are going unfilled. Casino marketers have trimmed their budgets and are reaching out to players in a more targeted way. For a few, expansion projects to bring new amenities to gaming establishments have been put on hold, and plans for new casinos have been placed on back burners.
Earlier this year, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority announced it would implement a series of cost reduction initiatives at its Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. Among the measures are salary rollbacks at all employment levels, suspension of annual and merit-based compensation increases and employer-matched 401K contributions and reducing hours of operations at some outlets.
Mohegan Sun is also doing more to cater to players with smaller bankrolls. In March, as part of what it dubbed its “stimulus, recovery and rebound” efforts, it added 12 new $5 tables to its table game mix.
National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernest L. Stevens Jr. said Indian country is concerned about how the economy has affected gaming, but tribes continue to remain strong.
“While there are many tribes [that] have had to make adjustments to their operations, there are just as many [that] continue to move forward, expanding operations, such as the Fire Rock Navajo Casino in New Mexico and the opening of the Creek Nation River Spirit Casino in Oklahoma.”