Crosscut: Washington may turn to gaming to address budget woes

Tuesday, January 4, 2011  

"Over the past decade or so, at least two initiatives to expand non-tribal gambling have been voted down by the state legislature by an overwhelming majority. Now, with the state in the grip of one of its worst budget crises — Gov. Gregoire told reporters she hated her proposed budget so much, “in some places, I don't even think it's moral” — the scent of gambling is once again in the air.

“It's a perennial issue whenever there's a budget crunch,” said Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Restaurant Association, which represents the state's hospitality industry. “More and more people can go online to gamble but you can't do it at a restaurant where it could be taxed. More and more people are asking, ‘so exactly why is it illegal?’”

In the meantime large casinos run by federally recognized tribes, like the recently revamped Tulalip Resort Casino north of Everett, operated by the 4,000-member Tulalip tribe, have thrived even through the recent recession. Their big advantage is offering a full, Las-Vegas style experience. Twenty-two tribes operate 28 casinos in Washington state, two in King County (Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie). They generated an estimated $1.75 billion in net revenue in fiscal year 2010. By comparison, card rooms and the lottery generated about $200 million each in the same period, according to the Washington State Gambling Commission.

“I haven't seen any proposal by anyone yet,” Anton said. “I haven't seen a coalition come together; I haven't seen any legislator try to get anything organized, but the issue is out there. If we did what Oregon did, we would generate billions [in tax revenue]. Doesn't that say, ‘hey we ought to give it a try.’ No proposal has been brought to us, but everyone out there is wondering what you’re going to do with a six-billion-dollar hole.”"

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Will the state turn to a gambling fix? (Crosscut 1/3)