Desert Diamond Casino lands naming deal for Glendale arena

The new name, Desert Diamond Arena, could grace the building in the next 60 days, said Desert Diamond Casino Chief Executive Officer Mike Bean.

Officials from Desert Diamond Casino — owned and operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation — and ASM Global — operators of the 18,000-seat arena in the Westgate Entertainment District next door to the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium — announced the deal on Tuesday.

“When someone says, ‘Hey let’s go to Westgate,’ we’re a big part of that,” Bean said, referring to the bustling 223-acre Westgate Entertainment District that includes dozens of restaurants, bars and shopping. 

The move comes three years after Desert Diamond opened its flagship casino in Glendale at 9431 W. Northern Ave., less than a mile from the arena. The West Valley casino averages 500,000 visitors a year, Bean said, which is nearly double the number of people who visit Desert Diamond’s two casinos in the Tucson area.

Bean would not say how much the casino is paying for the naming rights. The Gila River Indian Community, which had the naming rights since 2014, also did not disclose how much it paid to name it Gila River Arena.

The online recruiting company Jobing.com paid $1 million a year for the naming rights when it signed a 10-year deal in 2006, according to Phoenix Business Journal.

The City of Glendale built the $220 million multi-purpose arena in 2002 for the Phoenix Coyotes NHL franchise. The hockey team left the arena at the end of the 2021-2022 season last April when the City of Glendale refused to renew the team’s lease. The Coyotes in February signed a deal to play at Arizona State University’s all-purpose arena at least through 2025.

With the hockey team gone, the arena will have more flexibility to book entertainment acts, which Bean said will be a boon to the Tohono O’odham’s flagship casino.

“We believe with the Coyotes having vacated the arena, we will be able to have even more entertainment there than previously,” he said. “The goal is to provide and bring more entertainment to the arena and that will bring more people (to the casino).”

Desert Diamond, which has been in business for 29 years, has four casinos including its casino and hotel on South Nogales Highway. 

Bean said the arena will undergo some facilities upgrades to improve the guest experience, although he did not have details. ASM officials and Glendale city officials could not be reached for comment.

Upcoming concerts at the arena include The Killers on Sunday, Aug. 28; Alan Jackson on Sept. 30; and Pepe Aguilar on Nov. 4. For tickets and more information, visit gilariverarena.com.