Construction begins on Phoenix West Valley casino

More than eight years after the project was first announced, the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise (TOGE) broke ground today on the permanent, full-scale home for its Desert Diamond West Valley Casino. The new facility will feature a 75,000 square-foot casino floor with Class III slot machines, poker and blackjack tables, and live bingo, as well as five restaurants. Construction of the $400 million project will last an estimated 24 months.

Construction of the project is being headed by the Hunt/Penta Joint Venture as general contractor and will create over 1,500 construction jobs. Once complete, the full-scale casino will employ approximately 1,600 people. The facility is located on 54 acres of reservation land near the cities of Glendale and Peoria, Arizona. The full-scale casino will complement the region's vibrant sports and entertainment attractions, including Glendale's Westgate Entertainment District and Peoria's P83 Entertainment District.

The Tohono O'odham Nation first announced the major casino project on 29 January 2009. The casino project faced significant challenges from special interests in court and in multiple attempts to move federal legislation to halt the project. All of these challenges failed, and an interim casino opened to huge crowds on 20 December 2015. It currently employs nearly 600 people. The interim casino will continue operating during construction and then transition to a warehouse after the full-scale casino opens.

Edward Manuel, Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation said, "This facility will provide jobs and economic opportunity for members of the Tohono O'odham Nation, the West Valley, and Arizona. The Nation is proud of the partnerships we have forged in the region, which will only strengthen and grow as we move forward."