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Tribal casinos no longer a sure bet

The Columbian
Published: January 24, 2010, 12:00am

SEATTLE (AP) — Tribal casinos in Washington state are no longer a sure bet.

The Seattle Times reports that revenues were down as much as 30 percent in 2009. The Nooksack tribe is in court with its lender. The Snoqualmie tribe is struggling to make payments on its gleaming new casino east of Seattle.

The Skokomish tribe simply closed its casino last fall rather than losing cash.

W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Washington Indian Gaming Commission and longtime chairman of his tribe, the Jamestown S’Klallam near Sequim says this is a business shakeout. He says tribes didn’t have to think and could just implement a marketing plan “because it sounded good, you didn’t have to question it or challenge it.”

He says the downturn is forcing tribes to step back and say “wait a minute now.”

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com

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