Two Republican legislators have introduced a bill intended to “help level out the playing field” in Washington’s gaming industry by letting privately owned card rooms install video lottery terminals, now allowed only in tribal casinos.
House Bill 2044, introduced Thursday with a bipartisan group of nine sponsors, was referred to the Committee on State Government and Tribal Affairs. It would allow about 65 nontribal, house-banked card rooms to upgrade from pull tabs to the electronic scratch ticket machines.
Only card rooms with at least five years’ operational experience would qualify for the upgrades. No more than 200 of the machines would be allowed in any location.
“This would only apply to card rooms that have proven they can abide by regulations and provide a fair game,” said Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, one of the bill’s sponsors.
La Center’s four card rooms would be covered by the bill. All four have joined Clark County’s appeal of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ December decision approving the Cowlitz Tribe’s application to take 152 acres into trust near La Center. The tribe plans to build a large casino-hotel complex near the Interstate 5 – La Center interchange, which could compete with the card rooms.
A spokesman for the La Center card rooms did not return calls seeking comment. Dolores Chiechi, executive director of the Recreational Gaming Association, which represents the state’s card rooms, said her members are squarely behind the bill.
Sponsors estimate that the new video lottery terminals would generate about $290 million in revenue for the state over the next two years, without any increase in taxes. Half of the total revenue would be dedicated to K-12 education, 30 percent would go to fund services for the vulnerable, and the remaining 20 percent would fund public safety. Any transfers from those accounts would require approval by a 60 percent majority in both the House and Senate.
Rep. David Taylor, R-Moxee, the bill’s other prime sponsor, said the measure has been in the works since the beginning of the legislative session. “We wanted to make sure this doesn’t violate the compacts” the state has negotiated with tribes that operate casinos in Washington, he said.
Home-grown card rooms are finding it harder and harder to compete with mega-casinos, Taylor said. For example, he said, the Yakama Tribe recently announced a planned $90 million expansion of its casino near Toppenish, in his legislative district.
“Tribal casinos were first built in rural areas, but now they are expanding to urban areas, providing unfair competition to private businesses,” he said. “We have to ask ourselves: Do we want more mega-casinos, or do we want to allow established and reputable house-banked card rooms to compete for the same market share?”
Taylor, whose 15th District includes a small part of Clark County, also sees the measure as an economic development tool. Installing video lottery machines could prompt new hiring as card rooms expand to accommodate the new equipment, he said.
Because HB 2044 is a revenue-generating measure, Taylor said, he’s hopeful that it will get a hearing, even at this late date. Friday was the deadline for House and Senate budget committees to pass fiscal bills originating in the opposite chamber. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 24.
“If nothing else, (the bill) gets the idea on the floor and gets people talking about it,” he said.
Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.
