Deal On Gambling Possible Yakama Indians, State Close To Settling Casino Suit

The Yakama Indian Nation is close to settling its lawsuit against the state over its plans to offer casino gambling.

The state and the tribe will unveil terms of an expected agreement at a public meeting Jan. 22 at Yakima City Hall.

“We’re in the final stages of a settlement,” Carrie Tellefson, spokeswoman for the state Gambling Commission, said Friday.

Asked if an agreement will be reached soon, Ross Sockzehigh, a member of the Yakima Tribal Council’s Economic Development Committee, said, “perhaps.”

The tribe’s first casino would be located in a former lumber mill off Highway 97 near Wapato, Sockzehigh said.

Sticking points in negotiations have included the tribe’s interest in multiple casinos. The tribe initially considered sites near Vancouver, Wash., and in the Columbia River Gorge, but will first see how the Wapato facility fares, Sockzehigh said.

The tribe sued the state last June after negotiations failed. They couldn’t reach agreement on issues such as the tribe’s plans to operate eight casinos and have slot machines, which are illegal in Washington. Talks later resumed.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 allows tribes to offer some gambling, such as blackjack and roulette, after negotiating a compact with the state.

In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, the tribe alleged the state owed the tribe 60 percent of the net revenues from state lottery operations on its 1.3 million-acre reservation. It also accused state officials of failing to negotiate in good faith.

The tribe unveiled details of its first casino in the Yakama Nation Review newspaper in November. Preliminary plans called for 32 gaming tables, including roulette, blackjack, craps and pai gow, an Asian form of poker. Also planned were poker, bingo, pull tabs, Keno and off-track betting.

The casino would employ 569 people and include a restaurant, snack bar and lounge.