The
Cowlitz Tribe recently celebrated the first anniversary of its gaming facility in Washington, a development that neighbors in Oregon feared would cause all sorts of problems.
But it turns out that the Oregon Lottery and the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have survived. Although both entities have seen a decline in revenues and visits, it was far less than anticipated, Willamette Weekly reported.
Specifically, Oregon Lottery revenues in the area along the Oregon-Washington border in the Portland region fell 15 percent, instead of the anticipated 40 percent. And revenues at the
Spirit Mountain Casino, owned by Grand Ronde, are down 17 percent, the
tribe's Smoke Signals newspaper previously reported. Again, that was less than expected.
"It is challenging to do a full and accurate postmortem on
the reasons for such a large error. Many factors
influenced the forecast itself and the grand opening and
rollout of the casino was not without issues either," a
newly released report from the Oregon State Office of Economic Analysis read. "That said there was a clear forecast mistake."
The Cowlitz Tribe debuted
ilani in April 2017. Located in Ridgefield, Washington, it's the closest Indian gaming facility to Portland, Oregon.
The Grand Ronde Tribes have long depended on the Portland market for visitors. Concerns about competition helped fuel a long-running lawsuit that sought to derail the Cowlitz casino.
The courts, however, sided repeatedly with the tribe and the federal government. Grand Ronde dropped the case after losing a key ruling, and non-Indian opponents were unable to get the
U.S. Supreme Court to review the matter.
Read More on the Story:
The Cowlitz Tribe’s Ilani Resort Casino Has Hurt Oregon Lottery and Spirit Mountain Casino Less than Expected
(Willamette Weekly May 25, 2018)
Legal challenge to Cowlitz Tribe's casino
Indianz.Com on SoundCloud:
D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals Oral Arguments in Confederated Tribes of the Grand
Ronde Community of Oregon v. Sally Jewell
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Decision:
Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon v. Jewell (July 29, 2016)
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