Late last November the National Indian Gaming Commission announced that, after careful consideration, it had approved an application by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe for a tribal gaming ordinance. However, the tribe must await a Department of the Interior decision on accepting the proposed casino site land into trust. This decision is not expected until February 2007 at the earliest. The Cowlitz plan to develop an initial reservation on 152 acres at La Center in Clark County, Washington and claim one of the benefits of its casino project would be the reversal of the stream of recreational dollars into Oregon.

Last Wednesday few members of the public turned up for a meeting arranged to hear testimony about the draft environmental impact study presented by the Cowlitz. A representative of the US Bureau of Indian Affairs attended, as did two other federal officials, but the meeting drew a far smaller crowd than anticipated. The apparent public apathy was put down to an excess of previous publicity over the proposed US$510 million casino, which is expected to provide over 134,000 sq ft of gaming floor, a 250-room hotel, retail space and a cultural centre for the previously landless Cowlitz who achieved federal recognition in 2002.

South of Washington in Oregon the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde run Spirit Mountain casino. Here the debate is over expanded gambling in the state and the Grand Ronde attempt to stifle competition in the form of a Warm Springs tribal casino. Oregon also allows video poker terminals in inns and many consider that Oregon State should sanction commercial casinos and benefit from a larger proportion of gaming revenue than it presently gets from the nine tribal operations. With over 2,000 video lottery terminals, gambling at tribal casinos and playing online already part of the Oregon scene, to prohibit commercial casinos seems counter productive – particularly if Oregon money starts to head north to Washington. (E-06.15.06)

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