President Joe Biden recently signed into law the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act. As a result, the Pascua Yaqui tribe will add 30 acres to its reservation on Tucson’s west side, where it will establish a second casino at the Old Century Park 16 Movie Theater site.
The tribe currently owns and operates Casino Del Sol in Tucson. Tribal officials said they hope to break ground on the casino, which would be Tucson’s fifth and most centralized, within 12 months to 18 months.
Kim Van Amburg, chief executive officer at Casino Del Sol, said, “It’s a game-changer for the tribe. Without the passage of that bill, there was no possibility of casino development at the intersection of I-10 and Grant. Now, although there are a few extra steps the tribe has to take, the land will be put into trust.” Van Amburg added, “It means jobs, not just for tribal members in that area, but for other Tucsonans who would like to have a job close to central Tucson. I think from an economic development and what that intersection looks like, I think it’s going to be a beautiful improvement.”
Pascua Yaqui Chairman Peter Yucupicio said the new casino would provide 500 to 600 new jobs. “We’ve always lived there and it’s time to give back and take care of the city of Tucson, the county and the state. Long term, you have to look at all the west side coalitions, barrios, we have to look at all of the businesses there. For us, when you start looking at taking care and beautifying the whole area there of the city of Tucson, I think it will be a wonderful thing to watch and see how we evolve.”
Yucupicio said the main priorities will be improving the land by adding new housing and protecting religious buildings on ancestral tribal land by separating them from the casino area and related traffic.
