Spokane Tribe’s New Casino Opens Monday Evening

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — After more than a decade of work, the Spokane Tribe of Indians will open its new casino in a Spokane suburb on Monday night.

The Spokane Tribe Casino was first proposed in 2006, when the tribe asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs if land in Airway Heights was suitable for an off-reservation casino.

The Spokesman-Review says the casino was ultimately approved by the agency and Gov. Jay Inslee.

The Spokane Tribe hopes to do what neighboring tribes have done: Create a steady revenue stream to help fund tribal programs.

The $40 million casino joins the Kalispel Tribe's Northern Quest Casino, also in Airway Heights, and the Coeur d'Alene casino in Worley, Idaho, is serving the Spokane regional gambling market.