Here’s a pre-opening look at the new Vahi Taa’am Casino

Tucson residents will have a new gaming, dining and entertainment destination on West Grant Road when Casino Del Sol Vahi Taa’am opens to the public Sunday at noon. Located at 1055 W. Grant Road, just east of Interstate 10, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s newest property is expected to create about 500 jobs and bring new activity to an area that has lost businesses during years of road construction. The casino is also the first tribal casino built within Tucson city limits, placing a major new attraction near downtown and making it accessible to residents, visitors and travelers using I-10.

The property occupies land that once held the Century 16 movie theater and other businesses. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe brought the 31 acre site into its reservation after receiving approval for the project, allowing it to develop a casino in a central Tucson location. Construction began nearly two years before the opening, transforming the former theater site into a gaming and hospitality complex. General Manager Lesah Sesma said she used to pass the building during commutes from Coolidge and wondered what could eventually happen there. Seeing the project take shape, she said, was an emotional experience for the tribe and the surrounding community.

Vahi Taa’am covers approximately 163,000 square feet, with a gaming floor of roughly 52,000 square feet. Visitors will find about 924 slot machines, blackjack pits and other table games, as well as SolSports, a sportsbook offering wagers on parlays, teasers, futures, player props, in play bets and round robins. The property will have 1,562 parking spaces, including 1,004 in a four level garage. Guests entering through the garage can use an escalator to reach the casino floor.

The design combines Casino Del Sol’s Mediterranean inspired style with Pascua Yaqui cultural references. Near the entrance, a large video mural sits beneath a dome intended to evoke the desert sky. The property also features artwork by Yaqui contemporary artist Marcelino C. Flores III. His mural, titled “Aniam Yo’orine,” meaning “Respect the Worlds” in Yoeme, draws on Pascua Yaqui oral tradition, the Sonoran Desert and the five worlds of Yoeme spirituality. A central bar includes a large LED display designed to resemble a waterfall, one of Sesma’s favorite features.

Food and shopping are major parts of the project. Old Pascua Grill, also known as OP Grill, will offer upscale casual dining on a mezzanine overlooking the gaming floor, with a menu focused on local flavors. Sewa Market will include UME Asian fusion, Streetscape pizza and deli, and Abuelitas Taqueria. Sewa Market and OP Grill are intended to reflect Pascua Yaqui culture while serving a broad Tucson audience. The property will also include shops and Club Sol, the casino’s VIP lounge.

The opening represents a significant economic opportunity for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, which has limited land and fewer options for developing revenue outside tribal gaming. The expected 500 positions span gaming operations, food and beverage, hospitality, security and administration. Hiring events have already been held, although some jobs remained available as the opening approached. The positions are open to tribal members and people who are not members of the tribe, giving the project a workforce impact beyond the reservation.

Tribal leaders also describe the casino’s benefits as extending beyond the property itself. Under the tribe’s state gaming compact, revenue supports areas including tourism, wildlife and public safety, along with tribal programs and economic development. Sesma said the project is meant to serve the entire community, not only the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. She described the casino as a homecoming for families and elders connected to Old Pascua, where Pascua Yaqui people lived long before the tribe gained federal recognition in 1978. Although some families later moved to New Pascua, many remained in the original community.

Vahi Taa’am is the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s third gaming property. Casino of the Sun began as a bingo club in 1982 and became a full casino in 1994. Casino Del Sol on West Valencia Road opened in 2001. The new location carries a different significance because of its proximity to central Tucson and its potential to draw customers from across Southern Arizona, Phoenix, Casa Grande, Mexico and even Texas. Sesma said the casino could help revive West Grant Road and encourage additional development in a corridor affected by business departures and construction disruptions.

The current opening is only the first phase of a larger vision. Sesma has said the site could eventually include a hotel, conference center and a smaller theater style venue, although those plans remain undecided. She also hopes the property could host events connected to the Tucson Gem Show and expand partnerships with the University of Arizona. For now, the focus is on welcoming guests, completing the remaining hiring and launching a facility the tribe sees as an investment in its future as a self sustaining sovereign nation. For Tucson, the immediate change will be a new employer, entertainment venue and dining destination at a prominent West Grant Road intersection.