By admin TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Pascua Yaqui Tribe offered an exclusive tour Tuesday of Casino Del Sol Vahi Taa’am, the first casino within Tucson city limits, ahead of its scheduled opening in November 2026.
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The venue, located near Interstate 10 and West Grant Road, is set to include nearly 1,000 slot machines, dozens of table games, restaurants, a stage, and a sportsbook.
Inside the new venue
Casino Del Sol interim CEO Amanda Lomayesva said the location and design are expected to draw significant interest from the community.
“It’s gonna be so great for Tucson because it’s just so accessible, it’s a beautiful — as you can see — property, it’s going to be amazing,” Lomayesva said.
The facility’s copper dome has been visible from I-10 during construction.
Work inside the building is ongoing, with the opening roughly three months away.
Sports betting and its growth in Arizona
The new sportsbook will be part of Arizona’s growing sports betting market, which has topped more than $35 billion in revenue since 2021, according to a report from the Arizona Department of Gaming.
“I think very many people are very excited about sports, so just to have the opportunity to wager on sports right here is great,” Lomayesva said.
According to the Arizona Department of Gaming, 84% of Arizonans have gambled in the past year, and a quarter of those people made a sports bet.
The department also found that one in five Arizonans fall into the category of “problem gamblers.”
Regulation and consumer protections
Arizona Department of Gaming Director Jackie Johnson said the rise of sports betting has made regulation more challenging, particularly with the growth of online and app-based platforms.
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“With the launch of sports betting in 2021, just like in pretty much all other states that have sports betting, we have seen an increase,” Johnson said.
Johnson said tribal casinos are required to follow both state and tribal gaming rules. Oversight includes audits, machine inspections, and site visits.
“We have a full team that is consistently in communication with them, with our operators — whether it’s them submitting wagers for approval or making changes to their platforms, all of that has to go through our compliance team,” Johnson said.
Tribal gaming operations also offer a self-ban program, which prevents enrolled individuals from collecting winnings or entering casino property. Johnson said the program is one of several consumer protections in place at regulated facilities.
“These are operations that are well run and follow lots of rules and laws to make sure that it’s a safe environment for the community surrounding,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the department has seen a rise in illegal online sports betting platforms and is urging the public to use only regulated operators.
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