"Several years ago, the Spirit Mountain Casino eclipsed Multnomah Falls as the most visited destination in Oregon.

The casino complex, owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, draws roughly three million visitors a year.

It's not alone on Oregon's list of popular tourist attractions. Wildhorse Resort and Casino, which draws three quarters of a million visitors a year, is well up the list in its own right.

There are actually three casinos on this side of the mountains - Wildhorse, Kah-Nee-Ta, near Madras, and Old Camp in Burns, with Wildhorse being the largest.

The explosion of the gaming industry in this state is something of a stark contrast to the rest of Oregon's economic woes. Certainly gaming must be experiencing a bit of the impact of the recession, but nothing on the scale of other Oregon businesses.

Those facts haven't escaped the notice of officials at Blue Mountain Community College, who have teamed with leaders at Wildhorse to create a new degree program at BMCC and partnerships that can lead to more advanced training."

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Editorial: New gaming degree is the perfect bet for Blue Mountain (The East Oregonian 5/17)