Tribes Holding Summit On Gambling Gathering In Spokane Comes As Many State, Federal Issues Regarding Indian Gaming Are Ripening
As gambling in Washington continues to attract more money and attention, the industry’s biggest players are holding a summit in Spokane today to map out strategy.
Indian tribes from around the state are expected to attend a two-day meeting which begins this morning at the Doubletree Hotel downtown.
The gathering is the first of its kind and is hosted by the Colville Tribe - one of only two tribes offering gambling without a compact with the state of Washington.
“It is crunch time for the Colvilles and all Washington tribes in the gaming arena,” said Joe Pakootas, chair of the Colville business council.
The summit comes at a time when many state and federal issues regarding Indian gambling are ripening.
By June, the National Gambling Impact Study Commission is supposed to issue a report containing recommendations to Congress about gambling. Many tribes worry the commission will recommend more regulation of Indian gambling.
Within Washington, 19 tribes are poised to use a new slot-like machine recently authorized by the state. The machine could bring unprecedented new revenues to Indian casinos. It could also allow many tribes that have never had gambling a piece of the action.
While those tribes stand to cash in on the newly authorized machine, the Spokane and Colville tribes are in a court fight to keep roughly 1,800 traditional-style slot machines the state says are illegal.
The Spokanes and Colvilles want a chance to explain their side of the slot machine dispute to other tribes, Pakootas said.
“The state of Washington says we are doing everything illegal and we say we are not,” Pakootas said. “We want to get out what brought us to this point.”
Pakootas also said he hopes tribal leaders will volunteer to start following various state and federal gambling issues.
Nationwide, tribes are struggling to explain to the public and Congress that profits from Indian gambling go for reservation social programs, not the enrichment of an elite few.
About a dozen tribes from Western Washington are expected to attend the summit, although some are not sure what will be accomplished.
“The summit caught not just myself, but everybody I know off guard,” said Jerry Allen, co-chair of the Northwest Alliance of Gaming Tribes.
“We do get divided in this state by those Cascades,” Allen said. “Those in the eastern part of the state do feel like they are separated and it is harder to get the alliance to that side of the mountains.”
The Colvilles have not been an active part of the alliance, nor have they been part of the lengthy negotiations 12 tribes were involved in for a new slot-like machine recently approved by the state.
Frequently called the Chehalis machine, the device avoids technical restrictions the state has on gambling, but should play much like a slot machine.
Part of the summit is aimed at letting the Colvilles and Spokanes learn about the machine, Pakootas said.
Last Thursday, seven tribes took the first steps toward getting state approval to have the new machines. One of the seven was the Kalispel Tribe, which is planning to open a $17 million casino in Airway Heights this year.