Even as Indian gaming revenues flag amid the sour economy, a tribe south of Phoenix today is to open a $215 million hotel and casino south of Phoenix.
The new Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino opens on the Gila River Indian Community at Interstate 10 and Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, just west of Chandler.
Gaming officials said the 10-floor tower is the largest hotel/casino in Arizona, featuring 1,002 slot machines, 71 gaming tables, a separate nonsmoking gambling area, five lounges and a nightclub offering live and recorded entertainment. It also boasts a 1,400-seat showroom, fast-food court, an Asian bar and grill, the upscale Don Shula's Steak House and 242 hotel rooms.
Work crews were still scurrying about this week putting finishing touches on the interior and installing landscaping, but Gila River officials promised that most of the complex will be finished by the public opening at 9 p.m. today. Only the Airia nightclub, scheduled to open Nov. 13, will remain to be completed, they said.
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The resort has already booked several big-name entertainers for its 1,400-seat Ovations Live Showroom, including LeAnn Rimes on Nov. 7, Jay Leno on Nov. 20 and Paul Rodriguez on Dec. 12.
In addition to providing an entertainment center, the resort figures to make a major economic impact on the Gila River Indian Community. The complex will initially employ about 1,300 people, of which about 37 percent are tribal members, said Harold Baugus, chief executive of Gila River Gaming Enterprises.
The casino/resort is both owned and operated by the tribe, which is unusual because most Indian casinos in Arizona are operated by outside management companies, Baugus said.
Gila River Gaming Enterprises embarked on the project in 2005, when the economy was still flying high. Now it's opening in the middle of a major economic slump with Indian gaming revenue down about 9.4 percent from last year, according to the Arizona Department of Gaming. But Baugus said the tribe is taking a long-term view.
"The community looks for a long-term economic advantage that will provide benefits from the (state gaming) compact for the next 18 years," he said.
The tribe hopes to draw customers from around the state who will stay at the hotel as well as gamble and enjoy the entertainment offerings, he said.
The casino replaces the former Wild Horse Pass Casino nearby, which closed on Monday. But the separate Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, also owned by the Gila River Indian Community, will continue to operate under Sheraton Hotel management.