Law Officials Oppose Slot Machines Prosecutor, Sheriff Say Gaming Will Spread; Tribe Spokeswoman Asks For Evidence Of Ills

Spokane County’s sheriff and prosecutor spoke out Wednesday against a state initiative to legalize slot machines at Indian casinos.

“What’s really at stake is the quality of life in our community,” said Prosecutor Jim Sweetser.

Sweetser said if Initiative 671 passes, the next inevitable step would be to allow slot machines throughout the state, not just on Indian lands.

“Do we really want slot machines in every restaurant?” he asked.

His concerns were shared by Sheriff John Goldman, who warned that with increased gambling comes a raft of related crimes and an extra burden for police and courts.

Initiative 671 allows every tribe up to 295 slot machines for the first year of operation in exchange for investing 15 percent of the profits in public programs.

Doreen Maloney of Tribes for Responsible Gaming said criticism of the initiative is driven by fear and misinformation.

“Indian gaming brings in a lot of crime, they say, but can they point to it? No. Their own information shows differently.”

A recent poll for The Spokesman-Review indicates the initiative is a long shot. Only 38 percent of those surveyed supported it, far short of the 60 percent it needs to pass.

State Rep. Mark Sterk, R-Spokane, flanked by Sweetser and Goldman at the news conference outside Spokane’s Public Safety Building, said state gambling policies should be handled by the Legislature, not by confusing ballot measures.

Sweetser noted he also opposes the Kalispel Tribe’s proposal to open a casino on tribal property in Airway Heights, just five miles from downtown Spokane.

Neither Sweetser nor Goldman could point to any increased workloads as a result of the Spokane Tribe’s growing casinos.

A federal judge has allowed the tribe to offer slot machines for the past two years while the state’s authority to regulate the casinos is examined by the court.

Managers for two Spokane charity-gaming businesses said the Spokanes’ casinos have already hurt them.

Don Kaufman, manager for Big Brothers and Sisters Bingo, N. 930 Monroe, said revenues are down about 45 percent over the past two years.

And business is down 20 percent at Athletic Round Table Bingo, 8307 E. Trent, said manager Toni Capato.

Both managers noted that the drop in income hurts charities and public agencies.

For example, the Round Table pays the city of Millwood about $90,000 a year in gambling taxes.

Maloney said initiative opponents are not out to protect the masses from increased crime.

“All that they’re trying to protect,” she said, “is the gaming interests that compete with the tribes.”

, DataTimes MEMO: Cut in the Spokane edition.

This sidebar appeared with the story: INITIATIVE 671 Initiative 671 allows every tribe up to 295 slot machines for the first year of operation in exchange for investing 15 percent of the profits in public programs.