Siletz Tribes announce plans for Salem casino

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have announced plans to bring a casino to North Salem, Washington, just one week after the ilani Casino Resort’s opening.

The Siletz Tribe said on Tuesday they hope to build the 13,000m2 facility by 2021 in order to compete with ilani, although first they would need approval from the governor.

The casino “will give Oregon Tribes the opportunity to come together to share 25% of the net revenue of the entertainment facility,” officials said in a press release.

A Siletz spokeswoman billed it as “Oregon’s first inter-tribal casino project”.

However, the Siletz face the difficult challenge of wrangling support from all of Oregon’s tribes and the local community to get Governor Kate Brown on board with the project.

Grande Ronde tribe lobbyist, Justin Martin, for example, has already stated the Siletz proposal would have a “devastating” impact on Spirit Mountain Casino’s operations, just half an hour west of the capital.

On 24 April the ilani Casino Resort opened in La Center, with it now expected to generate over $400m in revenue. Though the Siletz already have the Chinook Winds casino in Lincoln City, the tribe are hoping these new plans will allow it to compete with ilani.

Dee Pigsley, Chairman of the Siletz Tribal Council, said: “As a Tribal community, we have a responsibility to preserve and grow jobs and revenue in Oregon.”