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TUCSON,
AZ - The face of gaming and entertainment in Arizona will change
dramatically this 4th of July, when the second of two casinos
owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Casino
Del Sol, opens its 213,000-square foot gaming complex expansion,
making it the largest and most unique casino and entertainment
destination in the state. New amenities will include 26 additional
blackjack tables, a new bingo hall seating more than 600 players,
four new distinctly themed restaurants, and a spectacular bar
and lounge area, all of which will provide more than 400 new
jobs to the Southern Arizona community.
"Casino
Del Sol exemplifies the best in gaming design to offer customers
an overall entertainment experience; as a result, we are well
positioned to expand our presence in Arizona," said Doug
Lentz, chief executive officer of Casino
Del Sol. "The beauty of the Tuscan Village motif, unique
architecture and amazing desert backdrop of the Casino is significantly
raising the bar for gaming destinations throughout Arizona and
the country."
According
to an economic impact study conducted for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe
in January 2002 by the Udall Center and Native Nations Institute
at University of Arizona, the Tribe provides an economic impact
of more than $100 million per year to the Southern Arizona economy.
This impact includes dozens of local vendors and contractors
hired in the building of the expansion, food and beverage distributor
contracts, community donations of more than $300,000 per year
to Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations and more than 1,500
jobs created to operate the casino once the expansion is complete.
"The
additional jobs created by the Casino
Del Sol expansion is significant for the community,"
said Robert Valencia, chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. "The
mission of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe is to provide new employment
opportunities that offer higher wages and improve the standard
of living for tribal members and all Southern Arizonans. New
jobs created by the expansion include entry-level positions,
executive management, blackjack and poker dealers, shift supervisors
and food and beverage positions, all of which will help the
Tribe attain this goal."
Designed
by Leo A Daly, Casino
Del Sol will showcase a remarkable Tuscan Village motif,
complete with streetscapes, a gaming piazza and traditional
Mediterranean-style decor highlighted in deep purple, bronze
and sandstone. A key feature of Casino
Del Sol is the magnificent "Mediterranean Sky,"
a 40,000-square foot mural suspended from the casino's ceiling.
The Mediterranean sky peaks 46 feet above the gaming floor and
is able to simulate a vibrant sunrise or sunset.
"The
design and development of a property of this scale, complexity
and quality is a rare opportunity, and we are honored to have
been a part of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's team in this venture
to build Casino
Del Sol," said Kristina Ennis Robinson, principal and
director of Native American Gaming for Leo A Daly. "This
landmark facility breaks the boundaries of the typical casino
'box': it has both intimate and grand spaces, incorporates cutting-edge
technologies, yet has a warmth that will appeal to many and
entice the guest with new discoveries on
each visit."
Since the
signing of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's gaming compact by Arizona
Gov. Janet Napolitano in January, Casino
Del Sol is allowed to expand gaming operations to include
an additional 670 gaming devices and Vegas-style blackjack.
The new machines will all be housed at Casino
Del Sol along with 46 blackjack tables. The casino also
will provide a bingo hall for its many bingo enthusiasts. Seating
more than 600 players, the hall will offer seven games daily
beginning at 10 a.m., and bingo guests will have the luxury
of a private restroom facility in the bingo area plus a deli-style
restaurant exclusively for players' use.
"Now
the largest and most unique entertainment destination in the
state, Casino
Del Sol has something for everyone," added Lentz. "Exciting
slots, Vegas-style blackjack and poker and an all-inclusive
bingo hall making it the premiere destination for gaming enthusiasts."
Under the
direction of Executive Chef Jesus Lorenzo, four new eateries
will let casino customers sample cuisine from different regions
of the globe. Lorenzo has been certified by the American Culinary
Federation as Master Chef and is newly inducted into The Chaine
des Rotisseurs, a world-renowned organization of culinary professionals.
His expertise and
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culinary
excellence has provided him with the opportunity to cook for
three United States presidents as well as the queen of England.
The new
restaurants range from quick, take-out food to world-class full-service
dining. They include Bellissimo Ristorante, a full-service Tuscan-style
restaurant; The Tequila Factory, a traditional Mexican village-style
restaurant featuring a private dining room modeled after a greenhouse;
Slice, an Italian pizzeria offering players the freshest pizza
ingredients on hand-tossed dough; and Abuelitas Taqueria, a
taco shop-style eatery giving players a wide variety of authentic
Mexican fare including burritos, chimichangas, tacos & enchiladas.
"I
have created menu items using the most authentic flavors from
Mexico and Italy to entice casino guests with the very best
each region has to offer," said Lorenzo. "Each restaurant
will use the freshest ingredients prepared by a highly trained
culinary staff all working to serve world-class food to the
members of our community."
The casino
also will house a full-service bar area called Zebo'z. Situated
in the center of the main gaming floor and modeled after a garden
gazebo, casino guests will be offered a wide selection of specialty
drinks and a large variety of premium libations.
The second
of two casinos owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Casino
Del Sol is the most unique gaming complex in Arizona. With
remarkable architecture fashioned after a Mediterranean resort,
the casino includes more than 900 slot machines, as well as
the 4,650-seat Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheater (AVA). The
casino includes 46 blackjack tables, a 12-table live poker room,
a bingo hall seating more than 600 players, Club Sol Players
Club, two full-service bars and five restaurants.
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Security
Experts: Las Vegas Vulnerable to Terrorism
By Rod Smith
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VEGAS -- The gaming industry in Las Vegas could prove
prey for terrorists because of its visibility and dependence
on leisure travel, security professionals said this week.
Terrorists pick targets where strikes
would have "high economic consequences, where there
are chances the loss of life would be high, that are iconic
(symbolic) and where there is easy access to publicity,"
Peter Tarlow, a federal expert on tourism security, said
Tuesday.
Tarlow will be a featured speaker next
week at a conference in Las Vegas aimed at casino executives
and increasing security in the gaming industry.
The conference is being sponsored by the
Washington-based consulting company Homeland Education
Resource Organization (HERO), with support from the Department
of Homeland Security and the Risk and Insurance Management
Society.
"Look at Las Vegas. You have issues
of lots of media, lots of crowds, lots of economic consequences
and lots of icons, famous hotels," said Tarlow, who
is head adviser on tourism security for the U.S. Department
of the Interior.
Las Vegas' dependence on leisure travel
underscores its vulnerability "because visitors always
have the option not to go," he said.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority
spokeswoman Erika Brandvik said that "certainly with
the high profile homeland security enjoys and its implication
for travel, it's important for visitors to know destinations
are acting responsibly."
Brandvik said while Las Vegas residents
regard major resorts as being highly visible, she didn't
think Las Vegas would be regarded as a major economic
center.
"Still, it's only prudent to prepare
ourselves," she said.
Capt. Mike McClary, who is in charge of
homeland security for the Las Vegas Police Department,
agreed that terrorists would not regard Las Vegas as a
central commercial hub.
"Does Las Vegas have to be concerned
with terrorism? Absolutely. (But) any community that has
an economy based on discretionary spending like ours has
to be cognizant of the threats involved," he said.
Still, HERO managing director Marcus Cohen
said, "Casinos need to understand that more security
means more profits. People will come to Las Vegas if they
feel safe. Even if there is an incident, people will come
when they feel safe."
To protect themselves from terrorism,
Tarlow said casinos "need good training, need to
invest in security, need crisis management teams and need
to work on issues of surety, not security."
Said McClary: "Terrorism is real
and the issues we are dealing with are real. Still, the
(gaming) industry in this community has done a better
job than the industry across the country."
Cohen said up to 500 attendees are expected
at the conference on "Gambling with Security: Hospitality
and Gaming Face High Stakes," Tuesday and Wednesday
at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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