TUCSON, ARIZONA, January 5, 2023 -- The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has publicly announced its intention to build a new casino in Tucson, closer to the city center than any other local gaming facilities.
New agreement:
Under the terms of a new gaming agreement between the State of Arizona and its 22 tribes, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe is authorized to have one more casino in addition to the two now under its jurisdiction, hence there are plans for a new Tucson casino.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has been working on this legislation for about 18 months. Now that it has been officially signed into law, they’re working out the details on what it will take to build a new casino near I-10 and Grant. The new casino will bring more business to Tucson’s west side and is expected to create 500-600 jobs.
The new gaming compact signed into law in April 2021 added new games such as craps, roulette and baccarat to Arizona Indian gaming casinos also allows the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to build a third casino in Tucson.
The Tribe purchased the Movie Theater property in December 2011 that was closed a year prior and has assembled approximately 42 acres around the former Old Century Park 16 Movie Theater for future casino use and has been negotiating with the City long before that.
The first casino near Tucson city center:
A Bill from Congress gave Pascua Yaqui permission to use an old movie theater building that had been closed for years and land near the building, located at Grant and I-10.
The Tribe can start building the new casino now that it legally owns the land.
Furthermore, the Grant near I-10 location, at 1055 W Grant Road is the closest to downtown Tucson, making the potential new casino the closest casino to the city center, ultimately making it easier for the casino to be noticed by players across the city.
Increasing the business of nearby shops:
Blessed Grounds Coffee Shops, located at Grant and Fairview near the casino site, is projected to boom once the potential casino opens.
In this regard, Amy Prillaman, manager at Blessed Grounds Coffee Shops, said: “We are a major family here and we just love on the community in general. And so I think any opportunity that we get to expand our customer base is another opportunity to one, impact the life to impact the community of Tucson but also to positively impact that casino as well. So I see it as a partnership in the making and maybe something beautiful to happen soon.”
Michael Guymon, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tucson Metro Chamber, added: “A big chunk of dormant land can drag down an area but it’s a powerful stimulant for the whole area when a big new business comes in.
“You bring back activity to a big property like that, and like you just talked about, there are employees but there’s also a lot of individuals driving into that area that had historically not driven into that area. Well, I think some property owners and some businesses are going to recognize that and they’re going to then invest and put new businesses in that area.”