Arizona: Pascua Yaqui Tribe to open Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taaʼam in Tucson this November

Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taaʼam, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s third gaming property, is scheduled to open on November 15, 2026, at 1055 W. Grant Road at Interstate 10 in Tucson, Arizona.

The 163,000-square-foot property will operate under Casino Del Sol, the resort enterprise owned and operated by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. The development is positioned as part of the tribe’s long-running focus on economic self-determination, cultural identity, and community investment in Southern Arizona.

Built on Old Pascua Community land, the property’s name, Vahi Taaʼam, is pronounced vah-hee tah-ahm and means “Three Suns” in Yoeme, the language of the Pascua Yaqui people. The name refers to light and a bright future for the community, the tribe, and guests.

Rendering of Casino Del Sol

“Every design choice, every partnership, every hire – all of it flows from the same source: our culture, our people, and our responsibility to the Tucson community we have called home for generations,” said Julian Hernandez, Chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

“Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taaʼam is built on Old Pascua Community land, and it carries that meaning with it. November 15 cannot come soon enough.”

The property includes a 26-foot copper dome that will be visible from Interstate 10. The dome is intended to evoke the sun rising over the desert landscape and to reference Arizona’s copper heritage, while also serving as a central architectural feature of the development.

Rendering of Casino Del Sol

Inside the property, the design will include vaulted domed ceilings, patterned terrazzo tile, wood accents, archways, and rustic ironwork. A 24,000-square-foot mural by Tucson artist Joe Pagac will cover the interior dome ceiling, depicting an Arizona desert sky with programmable lighting that shifts from midday tones to the amber light of a Sonoran sunset.

Casino Del Sol said the property was designed to reflect the natural setting of the Sonoran Desert and the heritage of the Pascua Yaqui people. The project is also expected to create nearly 500 jobs.

Rendering of Casino Del Sol

“Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taaʼam is more than a new property – it is a declaration of what the Pascua Yaqui Tribe stands for: a future as bright as the three suns its name evokes,” said Amanda Sampson Lomayesva, Interim CEO of Casino Del Sol.

“We look forward to opening these doors, to welcoming the nearly 500 people who will work within these walls, and to bringing this experience to the heart of Tucson.”