Governor Signs Deal to Expand Spirit Mountain Gambling
In the midst of Gov. Ted Kulongoski?s bruising re-election campaign this spring, he quietly inked a new compact enabling the Grand Ronde tribe to expand its lucrative Spirit Mountain Casino west of Salem. The revised compact, expanding the casino?s slot machines and gaming tables, potentially is worth $30 million per year in gambling profits.
The deal came 10 months after the Grand Ronde helped buy television ads attacking the governor for authorizing a rival tribal casino in the Columbia River Gorge. The Warm Springs tribe?s proposed Cascade Locks casino would be closer to Portland, carving into Spirit Mountain?s clientele of day-trippers. But if Kulongoski hoped to mollify a tribe bitter about his support for a rival casino, the Grand Ronde didn?t show its appreciation.
On March 30, two days after Kulongoski signed a compact allowing 33 percent more slot machines and table games at Spirit Mountain, the Grand Ronde plunked down $204,000 for TV ads attacking Kulongoski and supporting his main Democratic primary opponent, Jim Hill. Those ads came eight days after the Grand Ronde launched similar ads for the Republican primary, attacking Kevin Mannix and supporting Ron Saxton.
June 15, 2006
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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