Few Tribal Members Working At Casino

The Colville Confederated Tribes’ Business Council has launched an investigation into why so few tribal members are employed at its Mill Bay Casino.

Council member Deb Louie said the focus of the tribes’ concern is that only 40 of the casino’s 200 employees are Colvilles. Employees complained at a meeting this week with tribal officials that most of the casino’s high-paying jobs are held by workers from Nevada.

“We need more of our tribal members employed,” Louie said. “That was one of the main benefits of getting into gaming. We need to know why we have such a high turnover rate and why our people aren’t working there.”

The council has asked the Colville Tribal Enterprise Corp., which oversees gaming operations for the tribe, for a report about how many tribal members are employed as managers. It is hoped the report will shed more light on why so few tribal members work at the casino, Louie said.