Tribe starts construction of $65 million casino

Monday, Jan. 29, 2001 | 11 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Pascua Yaqui Tribe broke ground Friday for a new casino that's intended to cater to a different clientele than does the tribe's nearby Casino of the Sun.

The $65 million new casino is to include day-care facilities, an arcade and a bowling alley.

The first phase, expected to open in September, will include 500 slot machines, a restaurant and a 4,200-seat amphitheater. The second phase expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2002 will include six restaurants, along with the child-care facility and arcade.

Those family-oriented features should draw "a different crowd altogether than we draw right now," said Casino of the Sun CEO Doug Lentz.

The casino has yet to be named formally but temporarily is known as Casino Del Sol. It's about 1.5 miles from the Casino of the Sun. Lentz said the new facility ultimately should employ about 980 people, compared with the 480 who are at Casino of the Sun.

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