TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pascua Yaqui Tribe offered a media tour of the new casino nearing completion in Tucson near I-10 and Grant.
The bright copper dome calls attention to a new place to play–close enough to the heart of Tucson to attract a new, younger audience, and close enough to I-10 to convince drivers passing through to stop and try their luck.
Marketing director Jessica Savare says, “It's very exciting. We're so excited to be downtown, in the heart of Tucson, making sure that everybody sees and gets to experience Casino Del Sol in all its new glory.”
Inside the Casino, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe is aiming for the atmosphere that made its Casino Del Sol a success The new casino is called Vahi Taa’am. The name means Three Suns and shines toward a bright future for the community.
The casino may mean a bright future for a lot of workers—and for the region. It should create up to five hundred jobs. The casino is recruiting now to be ready to open November 15th.
That date reflects quick construction for a large, complex building. It’s been barely a year and a half since the groundbreaking.
General Manager Lesah Sesma has been watching the casino come together day by day. She has a picture in her mind of how it will look when it opens.
“And it's awesome. I can't wait to share it with everybody. It's just going to be phenomenal. The detail, even the bathrooms. That's one of my favorite things right now, and I know it's so silly to say, but they are amazing. Every little detail is just so well thought out.”
There’s still a lot of detail to be ready for that opening in barely three months. There are rooms to finish and more than nine hundred slot machines to install and certify—along with spaces for card games and sports betting.
Interim CEO Amanda Lomayesza says the casino’s jobs and the way they can stimulate other business can be a winner for people who don’t even play the games there.
“The tribe provides funding for education, for housing, for their senior services, and all those things will be helped. Plus, all tribal casinos have to do revenue sharing to the state, which you know helps the state as well in their budget.”
