Expanded Desert Diamond West Valley Casino opening in February

West Valley residents hankering to play blackjack near home won't have to wait much longer.

The Tohono O'odham Nation announced Tuesday that its new, full-scale Desert Diamond West Valley Casino with table games and slot machines will openon Feb. 19.

Construction is nearly complete on the final stage of the $400 million, 2.3 million square-foot casino near 93rd and Northern avenues.

The casino is adjacent to the temporary casino the tribe opened in 2015, which will close when the new one opens. The new casino will be one of the largest casinos in Arizona, according to the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise.

Hiring 1,300 new employees

The casino will employ about 2,000 workers, and 1,300 of those will be new jobs.

It has already started hiring for hundreds of positions, said Don Ayers, general manager of the new casino.It is looking for people to work in many different areas including administration, food and beverage services, environmental services, slots, table games, bingo and security, Ayers said.

The jobs will be a mix of full-time permanent jobs and part-time positions. Open jobs can be found on the casino's website at ddcaz.com/careers-open-jobs.

Most of the jobs posted now are for food and beverage services and table games.

The tribe considers its employees family, Ayers said, and invites everyone to come join.

Construction on casino nears completion

Media got an early look at the casino's 75,000 square-foot gaming floor on Tuesday, after a news conference celebrating the opening of the casino's employee kitchen.

Rudy Prieto, CEO of all four Desert Diamond casinos, said it was a special day for the casino and the West Valley.

"This place is going to raise the bar for the casino industry in Arizona," he said.

The West Valley casino will be more than twice the size of the temporary casino.

Off of the giant, open casino floor, there are five dining spaces, a 400-seat live bingo floor and a VIP gaming area and lounge for high-limit gamblers. A two-story bar overlooks the casino floor.

Workers on Tuesday wheeled in some of the 1,136 new slot machines, as others worked on constructing the floor, walls and bar areas.

The floor will have 36 poker tables and 48 blackjack tables.

There will be an Italian restaurant, a steak and seafood restaurant, a sports bar, a 24-hour cafe and a food court.

Hanging above the casino floor are hundreds of high-tech lights that staff will be able to control for intricate light shows.

Along with surface parking lots, there are two new covered garages.

Years-long wait for gamblers as tribe settles legal disputes

Gamblers have been waiting years for the full casino to open. 

When it first announced plans for a Class III casino in 2009, the tribe faced resistance from Glendale and other tribes, and eventually from state leaders. After years of lawsuits, tribal and state leaders reached a settlement in 2017.

The casino broke ground in December 2017, with support from Glendale and surrounding communities.

In September 2018, in a giant tent set up near the casino's construction site, marking the completion of the casino's dome-like steel frame.

The opening of the casino is the first phase in the tribe's plan for the site, which also includes building a full-service resort. There is no timeline yet for the construction of the resort, said Treena Parvello, spokeswoman for the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise.

The casino is excited to continue to work with its West Valley partners, including Glendale and Westgate Entertainment District, Parvello said.

One idea being floated around is the idea of a circulator that goes around the Glendale Entertainment District, Parvello said. She said they would consider any ideas that come their way.

"We know that our success is dependent on others' success," Parvello said.

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