Casino Ok’d For House-Bank Status

After nailing down the final details, the Scrapbook Restaurant’s Silver Lanes Casino learned this month it is the first casino in Eastern Washington to achieve house-bank status.

“We’re thrilled,” said owner and General Manager David Montecucco. “Our business is going to increase dramatically.”

He said he expects patronage at the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center casino to nearly double as a result of the change.

Legislation introduced in 1996 loosened some gambling restrictions in the state by enabling a pilot program for house-run games.

Before, players at all non-reservation casinos had to act as the bank and dealer themselves. Players were charged an hourly fee to sit at a table.

Now, casinos can profit by taking a chunk of the bank rather than charging players.

“It’s just like Vegas now,” said a Gambling Commission agent in Spokane who declined to give his name. “Before, players were basically just renting the chairs where they played.”

Even with the new laws, achieving house status is still an involved process. Casinos must enter a contract with the state Gambling Commission.

The agreement, modeled after the Tribal State Gambling Contract, addresses internal controls such as surveillance, security and accounting functions. It also details how games will be run in the casino.

Once the contract has been drawn up, an inspection of the facility leads to approval or denial of the contract by the Gambling Commission.

Only one other casino in the state - Freddy’s Club in Renton - has been approved for house-bank status.

It’s slow going, but that’s the way the commission wants it.

“The implementation will be a little slower,” said Carrie Telleson, the Gambling Commission’s director of policy and planning. “But that gives us a chance to work in depth with each licensee.”

The downtown Mars Hotel’s Ugly Rumors Casino has also participated in the pilot program, but rather than functioning as a house bank, it is still working using a form of player banking. The players’ losses end up creating a bank that they play against.

For its part, Silver Lanes Casino underwent a renovation that resulted in a state-of-the-art security monitoring system and an armed guard.

And in another new feature, cocktails will now be served at the gaming tables.

Just like Vegas.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo