Columbia Gorge casino

The Columbia Gorge casino is a casino proposed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, a group of Indian tribes in the U.S. state of Oregon. They have sought to build a casino in the Columbia River Gorge since at least 1999. Current plans call for a convert|60|acre|0|adj=on facility with 250 hotel rooms in the city of Cascade Locks, Oregon.

The plan, which has been endorsed by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, the City of Cascade Locks, and the government of Hood River County, must be approved by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, a department of the United States Department of the Interior, and would be the first off-reservation casino in the state. cite news
title=Gamble in the Gorge?
first=Joshua
last=Partlow
work=The Oregonian
date=2008-03-11]

Political context

Former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber opposed plans for a casino in Cascade Locks, and the issue overshadowed the 2002 gubernatorial election of Ted Kulongoski. The tribes made record political contributions during that election. Kulongoski, who took no position on the issue during the election, received $40,000 for his campaign from Indian tribes. [cite news
title=Native American Tribes Invest Record Cash in Oregon Politics
work=Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
date=January 15, 2003
author=Jim Lynch
publisher=The Oregonian
url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-96481968.html]

In 2001, the Confederated Tribes purchased 120 acres of land east of the city of Hood River, adjoining 40 acres it already owned.cite news
title=Warm Springs indians purchase gorge land for casino
date=May 15, 2001
first=Gregg
last=Herrington
work=The Columbian
url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-44297716.html] The Confederated Tribes then pursued two separate plans for casinos in the gorge until 2004: one in Cascade Locks, the other on the Hood River property. [cite news
title=Casino project east of Hood River apparently shelved by indian tribe
work=The Columbian
date=July 11, 2002
first=Kathie
last=Durbin
url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-54298557.html] The Hood River plan, which would have called for an eight-story casino, was opposed by Hood River residents.cite news
author=Wendy Owen
title= Warm Springs shows cards on gorge casino option
date=April 24, 2004
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1022F0F4B1478037&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0F4627A8B371FF3F
work=The Oregonian] Hood River County Commissioner Carol York was also a strong advocate of the Cascade Locks location, rather than the Hood River location.

Opposition to a casino in Cascade Locks has been led by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, and has included other organizations: the Oregon Restaurant Association, Friends of Columbia Gorge, and the Oregon Family Council. Congressman David Wu has also opposed the casino. [cite news
title=Who's Who In The Battle Of The Gorge Casino
first=Nigel
last=Jaquiss
work=Willamette Week
date=2005-09-21
url=http://wweek.com/editorial/3146/6734/] The Grand Ronde group was the biggest campaign spender in the 2006 gubernatorial primary election, opposing Kulongoski and Kevin Mannix. [ [http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics/2006/04/of_casino_ads_and_candidates.html Of casino ads and candidates - OregonLive.com: Politics Updates ] ] Grand Ronde, which operates Spirit Mountain Casino, spent over $800,000 in that cycle. [cite news
title=Betting On The Governor's Race
first=Nigel
last=Jaquiss
work=Willamette Week
date=May 172006
url=http://wweek.com/editorial/3228/7556/]

The United States Secretary of the Interior will have to approve a casino if it is to move forward. Current Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has generally opposed off-reservation casinos, but is unlikely to make the decision; instead, his successor after the George W. Bush administration leaves office is expected to consider the proposed casino, along with an off-reservation casino in La Center, Washington being proposed by the Cowlitz Tribe. [cite news
title= Bush leaving loose ends in Northwest
date= June 29, 2008
author=KATHIE DURBIN
url=http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/06/06292008_Bush-leaving-loose-ends-in-Northwest.cfm
work=The Columbian]

See also

* Native American gambling enterprises

References

External links

* cite news
title= When Gambling Calls the Shots
first=Theodore
last=Kulongoski
coauthors=Peter Bragdon
work=The New York Times
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901EEDE103FF936A35753C1A960958260
date=October 5, 1996