Lunch at the Casino

A puzzle to me
how the economy of
luck can sustain them.

~ carliewired

After quilting with my church ladies this morning, D collected me so we could head to Somerton, just south of Yuma, for lunch at the Cocopah Casino.

This is quite a new development. Construction of the 88 000 square foot casino was completed in 2003 at a cost of $15 million. It has bingo, tables and over 5oo slot machines. A convention center and resort is attached. Several restaurants, the reason for our visit today, are scattered throughout the facility.
There is a very large parking lot. Today it was less than half occupied. One portion of the parking lot is taken up by recreation vehicles with their satellite dishes up and their lawn chairs propped up in the lot. I was surprised by the amount of landscaping and watering of manicured lawn.

The Cocopah, also known at the River people, have occupied the area of the lower Colorado River and its delta for centuries. Today, the reservation lands of the Cocopah are some 6500 acres with most of it leased to non-Indian farmers for agricultural purposes. The Cocopah people, about 1000 in number, live and work in this area of Arizona. The Cocopah Casino is located on reservation lands.