Arizona’s New Desert Diamond Casino Set to Open by Year-End

Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks at San Lucy is set to open by the end of the year. (Image: DDCWestValley's Twitter page)

In Arizona, the Tohono O’odham Nation has revealed the first stage of its new casino destination, Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks at San Lucy, is set to open by the end of the year, complete with an 184,000 sq ft casino hosting a selection of some 900 slots.

The federally-recognized tribe made the announcement during a recent media tour and detailed the coming $450 million venue is to additionally offer gambling aficionados a selection of blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat entertainment via an array of approximately 30 gaming tables.

Prominent Player

The Tohono O’odham Nation, through its Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, is already responsible for four Desert Diamond Casino-branded properties located near the disparate Arizona communities of Tucson, Why, Glendale, and Sahuarita. 

The tribe proclaimed its latest gambling-friendly enterprise is to feature a poker room and a sportsbook alongside ‘multiple exciting restaurant options’ embracing a fine dining steakhouse.

Work on the Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks at San Lucy facility began in April of last year after the federal government allowed the Tohono O’odham Nation to take the enterprise’s 80-acre site into trust. 

The Chief Executive Officer for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, Mike Bean, told Tribal Gaming and Hospitality Magazine that the tribe has since undertaken ‘an ambitious 19-month construction schedule’ in hopes of being able to open its latest casino by the conclusion of 2024.

Expected Enlargement

Bean went on to reveal future expansion projects are expected to see the Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks at San Lucy add a hotel, a conference center and other amenities. 

He stated this will see the facility located less than 30 miles from downtown Phoenix in an area colloquially known as the West Valley become ‘an entertainment mecca and economic engine’ employing more than 1,000 people.

“Our construction team is doing an incredible job keeping us moving forward on an aggressive timescale,” Bean said. “We are excited to create more opportunity for the Tohono O’odham Nation and the West Valley.” 

Significant Stages

The Tohono O’odham Nation pronounced the finished Diamond Casino White Tanks at San Lucy to be ‘a beautiful and upscale facility’ while bringing it to life, which has created around 5,500 temporary construction jobs. 

It went on to reveal the venue, featuring the picturesque White Tank Mountains in the background, has already completed work on a covered parking structure as well as ‘extensive offsite upgrades’ and is now endeavoring to finish its roof, exterior walls and interior framing.