Tavern Owners Feel Odds Against Them

Southwest Washington tavern and cardroom owners want the state to legalize video poker to counter competition from Oregon.

“We have a lot of people who go over there who used to come over here,” said John Malafouris, manager of downtown Vancouver’s Frontier Room.

“Go down to Jantzen Beach and watch ‘em,” said Joe Holper, owner of Jake’s Place Tavern on St. Johns Road. “There’s zillions of people from Washington going over there.”

An initiative sponsored by the Washington State Licensed Beverage Association seeks to legalize video poker throughout Washington. The association represents 2,400 taverns, lounges and licensed gambling facilities across the state.

Taverns in Vancouver have punchboards and pull tabs but not video poker machines. In Oregon, taverns are allowed to have the poker machines and Keno.