Indian Gaming

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) promised a “clean, academic, dispassionate review” of the Spokane Tribe off-reservation casino.

The tribe is seeking the casino under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. That means Inslee will be able to veto it if it comes to his desk.

“It will be important for me to make the decision based on the facts and the evidence,” Inslee told members of the media, The Spokesman Review reported.

In the history of IGRA, only three tribes have successfully completed the two-part determination process. One is the Kalispel Tribe, which operates a casino near the Spokane Tribe's proposed site.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has not yet approved the Spokane casino. But the final environmental impact statement for the West Plains Mixed-Use Development indicates the tribe will be successful at the federal level.

Since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, the BIA has approved three proposed casinos under the two-part determination process. Two have been approved in California and are being litigated. The third remains under consideration by the governor in Michigan.

The BIA has rejected one proposed casino under the two-part determination process for a tribe in New Mexico.

Get the Story:
Inslee guarded on tribe casino (The Spokesman Review 2/7)

Federal Register Notice:
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Spokane Tribe of Indians West Plains Casino and Mixed Use Project, City of Airway Heights, Spokane County, WA (February 1, 2013)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Don't approve Spokane Tribe off-reservation casino (2/4)