Spokane casino deal OK’d

Published 9:00 pm Friday, February 9, 2007

OLYMPIA – The state Gambling Commission on Friday endorsed a casino compact with the Spokane Indian tribe, a deal that will clear the way for expansion of tribal gambling across Washington.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and the federal government are expected to approve the pact, which will allow the Spokanes to operate up to five casinos, with up to 4,700 slot-machinelike video gambling machines and higher wagers allowed at some tables.

In the name of equity, the state will allow similar expansion for other tribes, commission members and the governor’s office said after the 6-3 vote on the compact.

“Within a month, we will move to amend the other tribes’ compacts, providing largely the same features as the Spokane agreement,” said Tom Fitzsimmons, the governor’s chief of staff and an expert on tribal relations.

Statewide, the number of gambling machines at tribal casinos could rise from 18,225 to about 25,000, including the Spokane machines and modest increases at the other locations, he said. Most tribes will be held to their current two-casino maximum, he said.

The deal will be ready for the commission’s March 9 meeting, he said. Ratification by the U.S. Interior Department could take a year, he said.

Critics complained about expansion of gambling, addiction to gambling and other social problems, and the lack of revenue-sharing with the state.

The Spokanes are the last tribe in Washington operating without a compact with the state. Twenty tribes operate 25 casinos, generating $1.2 billion a year in revenue.

The tribe operates two casinos, one at Chewelah and the other at the confluence of the Columbia and Spokane rivers. The tribe wants to build a $67 million casino-hotel near Spokane.

Several GOP lawmakers urged Gregoire to reject the compact, but she indicated she’ll sign it.

“It is no secret that I don’t like gambling,” the governor said. “Federal law requires states to negotiate with tribes in good faith or face a lawsuit that would risk further expansion by placing the decision with the federal courts.

“I have made my priorities clear to the Gambling Commission: We should limit the number of additional machines, not increase the number of casinos, not introduce new terms of play, and not allow for off-reservation casinos.”

Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, a frequent critic of overall gambling, said an “explosion” of gambling already is under way in the state and can’t be halted, because tribes are merely asserting their legal rights to operate casinos to keep afloat.

Prentice, who represents Senate Democrats on the Gambling Commission, voted in favor of the Spokane pact, saying it represents progress in the long and rocky history between the state and tribe.

The Spokanes have operated casinos without a compact, in defiance of the law, with disputes sometimes spilling over into court. The state and tribe have been in talks for nearly two decades.

“It’s a step forward,” Spokane tribal chairman Richard Sherwood, 31, said after the vote. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this. It’s a good day for the Spokane tribe and a good day for the state.”