More than 400 people attended a public hearing on the Spokane Tribe off-reservation casino on Monday evening.

According to news reports, about 60 people gave comments. Opponents included the Kalispel Tribe, whose members are worried about the impact of a new gaming facility.

“We want the Spokane (Tribe) to have the same prosperity that we have had but without causing my tribe so much direct harm," Kalispel Chairman Glen Nenema said at the hearing, The Spokesman Review reported.

The Kalispel Tribe operates an off-reservation casino in Airway Heights, near the Spokane Tribe's proposed site. The Kalispels are only one of three tribes in the U.S. that have opened off-reservation casinos under the two-part determination section of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The Spokane Tribe hopes to become the fourth with its West Plains Mixed-Use Development. The project calls for a casino with about 98,000 square-feet of gaming space, a 300-room hotel, a parking structure, a retail site, a commercial building, a cultural center and police/fire station.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs released a draft environmental impact statement earlier this month. Written comments are being accepted until April 16.

Get the Story:
Battle brews over proposed Spokane Tribe casino (KXLY-TV 3/27)
Kalispel Tribe speaks out against casino idea at hearing (The Spokesman Review 3/27)
Council opposes casino (The Spokesman Review 3/27)
Condon condemns casino (The Spokesman Review 3/26)
Public Hearing for New Resort, Casino Planned for West Plains (KHQ-TV 3/26)

Related Stories:
BIA to host meeting on Spokane Tribe off-reservation casino (3/23)