The two casinos were jointly operated as Paradise Casino Arizona and Paradise Casino California. It opened on December 20, 2002, with 20 blackjack tables and 200 slot machines. Construction of the California casino began in February 2002. The extra space would also reduce crowding in the existing casino. Operating in California would allow the casino to offer blackjack, which was not allowed under Arizona gaming compacts at the time. In 1999, the tribe negotiated a compact with the state of California to open a casino on the other side of the state line, seven feet away from the existing casino. The casino opened to tribe members on July 31, 1996, and opened to the general public the next day. In 1993, the Quechan tribe signed a compact with the state of Arizona to allow construction of a casino with 475 slot machines. It is owned and operated by the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation. The property straddles the Arizona–California state line, but the casino building lies in Arizona. Paradise Casino is a small tribal casino located just outside of Yuma, Arizona on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation.