The Salt River Indians are turning their tent casino into a 15 story Vegas style hotel/casino. The current casino, which is just east of the 101 on Indian Bend, is already a popular destination for the valley’s gamblers. Personally, I can’t stand to walk into the place because it’s a smoke filled mess occupied mostly by sketchy people who look like they are on meth and can’t really afford to be there in the first place. I find the entire experience sad. The casino restaurant does offer great, low priced food, and it’s a great place to eat after midnight when just about every other restaurant in Scottsdale (which, despite its party-town reputation, is a bit of a bedroom community, especially when it comes to finding food at night) is closed. After all, the casino wouldn’t want any of its hard working gamblers to have to *leave* the casino to find food elsewhere. One thing I find fascinating about the casino is that its parking lot is full, day or night. You can drive by at noon, 6 pm, or 3 am, and you’ll find the parking lot full of cars. People just love to gamble, I guess.
Construction has already begun on the new casino, which is set to be completed in 2010. There will be a 750 seat showroom featuring live entertainment, a concert venue with room for more than 2000, swimming pools, 497 hotel rooms, and apparently much more.
Although technically the Casino will not be located in Scottsdale, whose boundaries end at Pima Road, the casino will be a boost for the city in the small scale version of the way that casinos have driven the Vegas economy for the past half century.
