Tribe Waits On Approval For New Washington State CasinoSpokane Tribe Of Indians Facing Resistance From Rival Tribe |
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The fate of a proposed casino near Spokane, Washington is currently in Gov. Jay Inslee’s hands, as a Native American tribe is looking to get state approval for the new facility.
Inslee has until June 2016 to decide.
According to the Associated Press, the Spokane Tribe of Indians is eyeing a $400 million off-reservation casino resort project and already has the federal approval to do so. The federal government oversees tribal gaming thanks to a 1988 law called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
The casino is opposed by some businesses in Spokane and by the Kalispel Tribe, which operates the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights. The casino has a nine-table poker room, which is the largest in Eastern Washington, according to PokerAtlas.
The Spokane Tribe has argued that the casino will help the unemployment rate among tribal members, which stands at a staggering 30 percent.
But the Kalispel Tribe said a new casino nearby “would have a devastating impact” on their casino. The Spokane Tribe has partnered with the Hard Rock Casino company for the proposal.
Other tribes in the United States are seeking the OK to build new casinos.
In Arizona, the Tohono O’odham Nation said it will be opening its Glendale casino in December no matter what a federal judge decides in its dispute with the state, according to a report from Tuscon.com. The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe in Massachusetts is also waiting on the necessary approval to continue with its casino ambitions.
Tribal gaming in the United States had gross gaming revenue of $28.5 billion in 2014, the most ever for the industry. There have been revenue gains every year since 2009.
Over in Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes are working on a plan to jointly operate a third casino in the state in order to turn around a gaming revenue slump.
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