{"id":89089,"date":"2018-09-26T18:05:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T01:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=89089"},"modified":"2018-09-26T18:05:25","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T01:05:25","slug":"talking-stick-resort-open-again-after-lengthy-monsoon-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/talking-stick-resort-open-again-after-lengthy-monsoon-closure\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona’s Talking Stick Casino Open Again, Lengthy Closure Followed Massive Summer Monsoon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scottsdale, Arizona’s Talking Stick Casino is open for business once more, following a traumatic few weeks that ensued when a monster summer monsoon hit the property.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Scottsdale, Arizona’s Talking Stick Resort — owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indians — was shut down for most of August and September after an extreme monsoon hit the area. Right: Macau’s Ponte 16 casino was severely flooded last year at this time by the record-breaking Typhoon Hato, but this year, the region’s casinos were better prepared. (Image: KPHO Broadcasting\/hk.finance.appledaily.com\/Casino.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Talking Stick finally reopened its doors on Monday after a 46-day closure caused by an August 10 monsoon that hit Scottsdale like a ton of bricks. The storm caused basement flooding and cut the power at the resort — leading to the evacuation of some 600 players, employees, and hotel guests in the early morning hours of August 11.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The severity of the storm\u2019s damage wasn\u2019t immediately realized, and the casino had to push the reopen target date back more than once.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe necessary repairs were made to restore the property\u2019s electrical system and other areas \u2026 we made the decision early on to only reopen the property after ensuring quality work was completed, verified and authorized by quality agencies,\u201d said Crystal Banuelos, Chair of the Salt River Community Gaming Enterprises Board of Directors, in a September 17th Facebook post.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The casino is owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.<\/p>\n

Caught Off Guard?<\/h2>\n

The impact of the August monsoon in Scottsdale might have taken casino officials and engineers by surprise.<\/p>\n

Talking Stick executives initially hoped the closure would only last a few days and targeted August 14\u00a0as the initial date, but that was pushed back to August 19,\u00a0and then again indefinitely after that.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaily assessments have revealed that more time is needed to complete storm damage repairs and to replace the equipment required to ensure the property is up to the highest level of standards to which our guests have grown accustomed,\u201d the casino said in an August 17\u00a0statement announcing further delays.<\/p>\n

\n

The shutdown led to the cancellation of the Arizona State Poker Championship, which was scheduled at Talking Stick from August 10-14.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Additionally, the evacuation left some players wondering how, and if, they would get the money back<\/a> that they were gambling with when the evacuation was ordered. Both casino and Arizona gaming officials responded by telling customers they would indeed get their money back.<\/p>\n

Lessons To Be Learned<\/h2>\n

Comparatively speaking, Typhoon Mangkhut — which hit Macau earlier this month as one of the largest storms to hit the area in a decade, carrying China\u2019s highest alert level \u2013 shut down Macau casinos for just 33 hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The short-term closure of Macau\u2019s casino industry despite the severity of Mangkhut is largely due to the Macau government\u2019s response to last summer’s Typhoon Hato, which left 16 people dead and scores of Macau casino workers in harm\u2019s way and led to protests from casino workers<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just days before Mangkhut hit this year, Macau\u2019s gaming regulator was given the power to shut down casino operations in the area in the case of \u201cexceptional circumstances\u201d in a meeting that anticipated the storm\u2019s arrival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The pre-planning included:<\/p>\n