Arizona casinos yank RV overnight welcome mat

Not long ago this notice came out: "Gila River Casinos will no longer allow overnight parking for recreational vehicles, Truck/Trailer RV combinations, or Semi-Trucks." For many who travel through Arizona, this is a blow. Gila River Casinos operate three different facilities.

Wesley Fryer on flickr.com

What was the cause? While the outfit didn't specify what the direct cause was, plenty of RVers have their suspicions. Wrote one on an RV forum, "When we arrived this week, people were camped out, some for months. Chairs and rugs were out, and one family allowed their children to play. Children are not allowed on the property here at Lone Butt [sic]. We ate in the casino everyday to give them business, and we gambled in the amounts that a RV park would charge. Most didn't. Two different men had been there since November."

Casino parking lots are a staple of many RV "pavement campers." Getting the bum's rush can definitely make life difficult. It wouldn't be surprising if the Gila River decision came in part -- maybe in large part -- due to dubious behavior on the part of the few that reflects badly on the many.

For our part, we've spent more than one night on a casino lot. While we don't gamble, we're plenty happy to spend a few bucks in a facility restaurant, make sure we pick up any trash we find left in the parking lot, and vamoose within a day or two -- not turning the place into a semi-permanent residence. Hopefully what's happened at Gila River properties won't become a common occurrence.

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