Gambling Commission Hits The Jackpot Authorities Seize 96 Slot Machines At Idaho Border

The state Gambling Commission is trying to figure out who was waiting for the 96 slot machines the state seized Friday night in Spokane County.

Two truckloads of the illegal gambling devices were grabbed by authorities about 7 p.m., soon after the trucks rolled across the Idaho border into Spokane County.

Gambling officials call the bust the biggest seizure of slot machines in state history.

The estimated $400,000 worth of illicit cargo was sent from Minnesota destined for Manson, Wash., leading investigators to suspect the slots were bound for the Colville Indian Reservation near Manson.

“That’s the conclusion we can draw,” said Carrie Tellefson, of the Washington State Gambling Commission. “But it’s still under investigation.”

Joseph Pakootas, tribal business chairman for the Colvilles, said he was trying to contact his gaming manager to ask him about the seizure.

“We’re kind of ignorant about this right now,” he said. “I don’t know a whole lot about it.”

Pakootas said the tribe casino currently has slot machines, but didn’t know if more had been ordered.

Slot machines and other electronic gambling devices are illegal in Washington, but the law hasn’t kept the popular “one-armed bandits” out of Eastern Washington.

The Spokane Indian Tribe is embroiled in a long court battle with the state over the tribe’s rights to run slots at its casino.

“We’re not aware of the numbers right now,” Tellefson said of the Spokanes’ slots. “But we know there are hundreds of them.”

Two years ago, the state intercepted a truckload of 55 slot machines worth about $275,000 ordered by the tribe.

A tribal councilman called the seizure an example of “pure racism.” The tribe tried unsuccessfully to convince a judge to force the state to give back the slots.

The Colvilles also are contesting the state’s authority to regulate its gaming.

Tellefson said the state got a tip on the slot machine shipment last week and pursued the case with Minnesota gaming authorities and the Washington State Patrol.

The drivers of the trucks were questioned and released after their cargo was seized, she said, noting the investigation is just beginning.

Both the Colvilles and the Spokanes helped pay for last year’s unsuccessful initiative to allow wide open Nevada-style gaming in the state, opening the door to slot machines, video poker, video pull-tabs and other electronic gaming devices.

State Initiative 671, which will be on the fall ballot, calls for similar unrestricted gambling on Indian lands.

, DataTimes