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Oregon Tribal Casino Plans Move Forward

OREGON – As reported by the Portland Tribune: "It's sounding more and more like a sure bet: a compact between Gov. Ted Kulongoski and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs giving the go-ahead to a tribal casino in Cascade Locks.

"Negotiations between the tribes and Kulongoski and his staff, ongoing for several months, 'now are at the point where documents are being exchanged,' said Len Bergstein, a principal of Northwest Strategies Inc., a consultant to the tribes. 'Fairly complete documents are going between the negotiating parties; they're no longer negotiating over concepts.'

"Envisioned as a half-million-square-foot casino and destination resort complex including a hotel, the tribal gaming center would be built on industrial land purchased from the Port of Cascade Locks. The casino, which would employ an estimated 1,200 people and cost an estimated $300 million, would be about 40 miles east of Portland, making it the closest Oregon casino to the city.

" Both Cascade Locks, with about 1,100 residents, and the tribes, with some 3,400 enrolled members, view the casino as a badly needed economic boost.

"…The tribes currently have a small casino at their Kah-Nee-Ta Resort in Central Oregon, which they told Kulongoski they would close if he approved the Cascade Locks gaming center.

"…A signed compact is just the first step in bringing a casino to reality. The agreement also has to be examined by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and endorsed by the secretary of the interior, a process that would take from 12 to 16 months, Bergstein said…"

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