"They were celebrating in Beloit, Wis., last week after the regional office of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs signed off on a tribal casino that's been under consideration for more than five years.

What does that mean for the Inland Northwest, where the Spokane Indian Tribe and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire's office have agreed on a gaming compact that may end 15 years of litigation? Maybe plenty.

The Spokanes' two facilities, one in Chewelah and one at the confluence of the Spokane and Columbia rivers, are the only tribal casinos in Washington operating without the state-tribe compact prescribed by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Clearing that hurdle would allow the tribe to proceed with planned expansions at those operations, and it would allow the use of cash-operated slot machines, which have generated more controversy than they justify. In the long run, though, having a compact in place would position the tribe to propose a major casino in the Airway Heights area where the Kalispel Tribe already operates Northern Quest Casino.

Like Northern Quest, and like the Beloit facility – which would pump an estimated $40 million a year into a strained local economy – the Spokanes' vision would take shape not on the reservation but on trust land acquired after 1988, when the federal law took effect. Historically, that's been a barrier. The Kalispels are one of only three tribes in the nation to surmount it – so far.

But in Wisconsin, leaders of the St. Croix and Bad River bands of the Chippewa tribe have been encouraged to think they could be the fourth, largely because community support is solidly behind them."

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Editorial: Ruling a big gamble (The Spokesman Review 1/14)