Editorial: Coquille Tribe's proposed casino needs a full debate

It's difficult to argue with the logic of the Coos Bay-based Coquille Indian Tribe in deciding it should open a gaming facility in Medford, more than 150 miles away. While gambling, whether in casinos or through the Oregon Lottery, is a mature industry with only so many Oregon dollars to capture, the greater Medford area is relatively underserved for the casino-like gambling experience. And the Coquilles could conceivably rake it in, assuring an uptick in the tribe's otherwise bleak economic forecast for the next 20 years.

While about 90 retail outlets offer Lottery games in greater Medford, the nearest casino is 70 miles to the north, in Canyonville, where the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians operates the popular Seven Feathers Casino Resort. And therein lies the rub. The Cow Creek tribe fears annual revenues at Seven Feathers could be cut in half if the Coquilles launch a Medford facility, limited to 600-plus slot-like machines and no other games.

Just about anyone who officially counts is against the Coquilles in this plan. Gov. John Kitzhaber objected in writing to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, claiming, among other things, that Oregon sets itself apart from other states by limiting tribes to one casino apiece ­– and the Coquilles already operate a full-blown casino, The Mill Casino, Hotel and RV Park, in Coos Bay. Kitzhaber suggested Oregonians are served by limits on gambling, which exerts a high social cost in addictive behavior, and he emphasized that any new gaming facility in Medford could throw open the door to runaway expansion of tribal gaming statewide. Oregon senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley echoed the sentiments last month in a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees BIA. Meanwhile, the Medford City Council and Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved resolutions saying the Coquille tribe's plan was nothing but bad news for the community and would place a burden on infrastructure.