Study puts economic impact of tribal gaming in Idaho at $1.1B

Friday, February 20, 2015

The Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Idaho. Photo from Facebook

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The tribal gaming industry contributes $1.1 billion to the economy in Idaho, according to a new study.

On behalf of the five tribes in the state, University of Idaho economist Steven Peterson analyzed the impacts of their gaming operations. He found that the tribes added 13,840 jobs to the economy and raised the state's gross product value by $653 million, or about 1 percent of the total.

"The tribal gaming facilities have approximately 4,834 video gaming machines; 506 available hotel rooms; and gross gaming revenues of more than $820 million before payouts and prizes," the economic impact report stated. "Total combined unique tourist-visitors are difficult to estimate, but they likely exceed 500,000 per year. Many patrons visit more than once yearly and total hourly visitor counts may be as high as 12 million annually."

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the Kootenai Tribe, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes commissioned the study.

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Study says Idaho tribes have $1 billion economic impact on state (The Spokesman Review 2/19)