Topping-off ceremony held for new Desert Diamond Casino
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Desert Diamond Casinos, an enterprise of the Tohono O’odham Nation, broke ground on its fifth facility west of Glendale in unincorporated Maricopa County back in April, and a topping-off ceremony was held on Sept. 27.
A topping off ceremony, according to Mike Bean, CEO of the Tohono O’odham Nation Gaming Enterprise, is a tradition of marking a milestone and is considered to provide good fortune for the remainder of the project.
The event also marked a major milestone in construction as the enterprise is beginning to close out the final sequence of steel for the new $450 million casino.
Phase one of the casino has a 19-month construction timeline backdated to April. The new facility will feature a 184,000 square-foot casino floor with 900 Class III slot machines; poker room; retail sportsbook; and table games including blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat, as well as dining and other amenities.
“Today is a major milestone for the Tohono O’odham Nation,” said Verlon Jose, chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation. “We have come a long way in building a more prosperous future for our people and the West Valley, but just like this new casino, we still have much further to go. The Nation will continue to work closely with our friends and partners in the region for the benefit of all our communities.”
JCJ Architecture led the design of the new Desert Diamond Casino, which will eventually expand to include a hotel, conference center, an outdoor pool and recreational amenities, and an amphitheater and event lawn space. Construction is being headed by the Hunt/Penta Joint Venture as general contractor and will create over 5,500 construction jobs. Once completed, the full-scale facility will employ more than 1,000 people.
Alongside officials and members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, in attendance to celebrate the topping off ceremony were city officials from Glendale, Peoria, Buckeye, Surprise, Tolleson and El Mirage.
“We know that the West Valley is home to some of the most vibrant growth in the country, and we’re excited to build on the success of that together with the rest of the community,” Bean said. “Thank you all for being part of this great milestone.”
The property for the new facility is located on 80 acres of reservation land in unincorporated Maricopa County, west of Glendale. The land has already been taken into trust by the federal government as required by law, in a process similar to what was done for the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley facility.
Bean feels the new casino will add another economic engine to the Loop 303 area.
“We are very proud of what has been accomplished so far by our construction team,” Bean said. “It will be a beautiful, first-class facility that complements the fastest-growing region of the Phoenix Valley. We are moving quickly to complete this economic development project that is creating opportunity for the West Valley and the Tohono O’odham Nation.”
For Jose, it wasn’t easy for the Tohono O’odham Nation to get to where it is today. He is grateful to everyone who has helped with the planning and building of the to-be casino to this point.
“It took a lot of hard work, a great deal of time and dedication for many different people, but we’re here today,” Jose said. “I see all of you, and I know that you have helped build our future. Even if you don’t realize the results of this type of facility, the results of any of the work that we do goes far and beyond what you ever imagined — to put food on people’s tables, to renovate someone’s house, getting transportation to medical facilities. You name it, it’s done it, and we couldn’t do it without you.
“Thank you all for your friendship, your trust and for your support. I share this moment with each of you not as the chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, but as a member of society, as a member of civilization. We must work together beyond the boundaries that we have before us. Because again, we have proven through the testament of times what we can do when we work together.”
