Coeur d'Alene Tribe celebrates 25th anniversary of gaming facility

Monday, March 19, 2018  

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its entry into the Indian gaming industry.

The effort started out with a high-stakes bingo hall on March 20, 1993. Tribal leaders were worried no one would show up -- there was still snow on the ground, longtime employee Laura Stensgar told The Coeur d'Alene Press -- but those fears went unrealized as crowds quickly flocked to the reservation for games.

''This is more professionally run, like the casinos in Vegas,'' one patron told The Lewiston Tribune back in April 1993.

The modest bingo hall is now known as the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel. It boasts more than 1,000 employees, a 300-room hotel, an award-winning golf course and 100,000 square-feet of gaming space.

"We did not know that we would have what we have today. However, I'm proud to say that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe is known to be savvy business people," chief executive officer Francis SiJohn, who is a tribal citizen, told The Press

Class III games, like slot machines, were soon added after the tribe gained federal approval of its gaming compact in early 1993. But bingo remains a mainstay -- the casino is giving away $25,000 this month as part of its Silver Anniversary.

Read More on the Story:
Northern Idaho Destination Casino Began as Bingo Hall (The Coeur d'Alene Press / The Associated Press March 19, 2018)