Mazatzal Casino · Payson

Year Opened

1993

Hours

Open 24/7

Age Restriction

21+

Property Type

Tribal

Regulator

Arizona Department of Gaming

Owner

Tonto Apache Tribe

Slot Machines

423

Table Games

5

Poker Tables

2

About Mazatzal Casino

Mazatzal Casino opened in 1993 and operates as the Tonto Apache Tribe’s gaming property in Payson, Arizona. The casino sits at Highway 87, Mile Marker 251, on tribal lands in the Mogollon Rim country of central Arizona. The high-elevation location around 5,000 feet sets the property apart from the Phoenix-valley properties: cooler summer temperatures, real winter weather, and pine-country surroundings rather than desert.

The gaming floor carries 423 slot machines, a 5-table pit, a 2-table live poker room, video poker, and electronic bingo and keno sections. The table side runs blackjack, and the poker room spreads Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, Omaha 8 or Better, and Omaha Hi-Lo. The minimum gambling age is 21 and the casino is regulated by the Arizona Department of Gaming under the tribal-state compact.

Venue photo

Mazatzal Casino

Payson, Arizona

View full photo

Close

Mazatzal Casino in Payson, Arizona

On the Gaming Floor

Mazatzal Casino runs a focused mid-sized gaming floor with 423 slot machines, a 5-table pit, and video poker. The slot floor mixes the standard penny-to-high-denomination range across themes.

The 5-table pit features blackjack as the headline game. Electronic keno and electronic bingo round out the floor as separate sections.

The 24-hour schedule supports both Payson-area residents and the steady year-round traffic between Phoenix and the Mogollon Rim communities. Electronic keno is one of the simpler-to-learn games on the floor and a good fit for casual visitors who want to try a non-slot format without learning a new table game.

For visitors comparing northern Arizona casinos, Mazatzal sits in the small-to-mid tier, smaller than the Verde Valley’s Cliff Castle Casino and substantially smaller than the destination resorts in metro Phoenix.

Poker Room

The Mazatzal poker room is a 2-table operation, but the game spread is more interesting than the size suggests. The room runs Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, Omaha 8 or Better, and Omaha Hi-Lo. The Omaha Hi-Lo spread is unusual at a small room: most 2-to-4-table Arizona rooms only run Hold’em variants, so the Omaha presence makes Mazatzal a draw for mixed-game players passing through central Arizona.

Two tables is a small room by any measure. Players planning a trip around poker should call the room directly before arrival to confirm games are running and to ask about the daily mix of variants. The room can run dark on weekday afternoons if the floor doesn’t fill.

Amenities

Mazatzal Casino includes a working amenities footprint without an on-site hotel. The property offers a restaurant, a fitness center, a jacuzzi, a swimming pool, retail shops, and self-parking. The fitness center, jacuzzi, and pool combination is unusual for a casino-without-hotel property, and it shifts the visit format toward an extended day or evening stay rather than pure gaming.

For overnight stays, visitors typically book at independent lodging in Payson, which has a developed tourist-town infrastructure tied to the Mogollon Rim recreational economy. Payson sits roughly 90 minutes northeast of Phoenix and works as a destination in its own right rather than just a casino-driven stop.

Location & Access

Mazatzal Casino is located at Highway 87, Mile Marker 251 in Payson, Arizona, on Tonto Apache Tribe reservation lands in the Mogollon Rim country of central Arizona. The Highway 87 frontage makes the property easy to find for travelers driving the route between Phoenix and Show Low. Payson sits roughly 90 miles northeast of Phoenix via Highway 87 (the Beeline Highway).

Self-parking is the standard arrival mode. The elevation around 5,000 feet means real winter weather: snow is normal here, unlike the desert-floor casinos. The pine-country surroundings make Mazatzal a different visit experience from the typical Arizona casino, with hiking, fishing, and outdoor recreation available in the surrounding Tonto National Forest.

How Mazatzal Casino compares locally

Tonto Apache Tribe Context

Mazatzal Casino is owned and operated by the Tonto Apache Tribe, one of the smallest federally recognized tribes in the United States by enrolled membership. The tribe’s reservation is in the Payson area of central Arizona, and Mazatzal Casino is the tribe’s primary gaming property. The small scale of the tribe makes gaming revenue an outsized share of overall economic activity for the community.

Gaming at Mazatzal Casino runs under a compact between the Tonto Apache Tribe and the State of Arizona, authorized by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The Arizona Department of Gaming provides state-side oversight. Gaming revenue supports Tonto Apache tribal government operations, community programs, and economic development for enrolled members.