So many people were playing the machines that the gaming manager decided not to ceremoniously lock them out before the grand opening of the Itse-Ye-Ye Nez Perce Tribal Bingo and Casino in Kamiah.

“They’ve been in here since nine this morning waiting for the grand opening,” said gaming manager Diana Kemege Pinkham.

The gaming operation has been open since Dec. 20, but the focus has been on employee training, she said.

By 8 p.m. Sunday evening about 500 people had passed through the door on New Years Eve Day, the biggest entertainment day of the year, she said. The machines had also paid out about $11,000 in winnings, she said.

Sixty-seven electronic pull tab machines line the room leaving only narrow aisles for standing room.

No alcohol will be allowed in the gaming area.

The payoffs will be 90 percent of the money played, which is higher than the national average, Pinkham said.

At the ceremony, awards of appreciation were given to the Mayor of Kamiah, Nez Perce Tribal executive committee members and about 15 local businesses, which have helped the operation get started.