"Gambling is an ethically challenged industry and a capricious source of revenue – as witness its sudden decline in the current recession. We wish the Puyallup tribe weren’t economically dependent on the profits from its two Emerald Queen casinos.

But dependent it is. Given the fact that many Puyallup households are making ends meet with their per capita shares of gambling profits, those casinos should be professionally run.

There’s evidence that they are not. A recent audit by Lamar Associates, a D.C.-based firm specializing in gambling operations, found abundant evidence of mismanagement in the casinos, ranging from poor security to poor morale to a less-than-inviting ambiance. Lamar Associates concluded that the tribe is forfeiting up to $40 million in potential profits as a result.

The audit, leaked by a casino employee, offers a fascinating inside glimpse of the industry’s practices, including the widespread use of “players clubs” to electronically track every move individual patrons make inside a casino.

The surveillance answers such questions as: How long did they play? Where did they come from? What did they eat? What did they drink? Do they smoke? What do they smoke? Where did they park?"

Get the Story:
Editorial: Puyallups deserve better from casinos (The Tacoma News Tribune 5/19)

Earlier Story:
Study critical of the two Emerald Queen casinos (The Tacoma News Tribune 5/17)