By MIKE HUFFMAN
Staff Reporter
The Spokane Tribe of Indians has had an eventful two weeks with the state Gaming Commission's recent 6-3 approval of a
gaming compact, which will regulate the number of slot
machines the tribe can operate at its two casinos.
Gov. Christine Gregoire ratified the deal Feb. 16.
But according to Jamie Sijohn, spokeswoman for the Spokane Tribe, there's still one more signature to go: The secretary of
the United States Department of Interior has 45 days to review and approve the compact.
“It's the last signature,” Sijohn said. “We're happy with how things have been going.”
The tribe won't be wasting any time, either.
In a prepared statement released late Friday, Gerald Nicodemus, Spokane Tribal Council secretary, said, “We intend to personally deliver the compact to the Department of the Interior before the ink is dry.”
The Spokane Tribe was the only one in the state operating its casinos, located in Chewelah and Two Rivers, without a compact.
After months of brokering, the plan would allow for the Spokanes to have up to 1,500 slot machines for three years.
That number would go up to whatever the state will allow in subsequent negotiations.
More importantly to the tribe, it could expand its total number of casinos to five.
The Spokanes would like to build a sprawling new casino/hotel complex near the existing Spoko Fuel gas station west of Airway Heights on tribe-held, non-reservation land.
That issue, however, is separate from the current compact agreement signed by Gregoire.
Still, Nicodemus is proud of how far the tribe's efforts have come in the last few months.
“This compact promises to benefit our tribe and the entire region by creating needed jobs and boosting the local economy,” he said.
“(It) also ensures that Spokane Indian gaming stays limited and well-regulated. The compact represents a fair agreement resulting from a lengthy negotiation process.”
Money raised from tribal casinos is used for education, medical care and housing improvements for Native Americans, he said.
Tribes cannot tax to raise money in the same way other governments can.
Still, Washington lawmakers have always been leery of expanding gambling or allowing too many casinos.
Gregoire herself has been critical of gambling and has stated she is personally opposed to it.
“However, I am committed to honoring the commitments made by the state in prior compacts and complying with federal law,” she wrote in a letter to the Gambling Commission late last year.
“I understand that components of the current compacts must evolve over time as a result.”
The approved compact ends 15 years of lawsuits and counter-lawsuits between the tribe and the state.
The Department of the Interior also must approve any new casinos by the tribe.
It's unlikely a new casino operated by the Spokanes at Airway Heights – which would be located within one mile of the Kalispel Tribe's Northern Quest Casino – would open until 2010 at the earliest.
The tribe estimates the casino could create 2,000 new jobs – many for non-tribal members of the community – and nearly $50 million in wages each year.
The Spokane Tribe has about 2,400 members.
Mike Huffman can be reached at mhuffman@cheneyfreepress.com
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