Salish Slot Machines Unplugged

Western Montana’s Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are having some slot machine problems. They have been unable to come to an agreement with the state in order to sign a slot machine compact that both parties agree to. They had Class III slot machines on their property that they just removed from the reservation.

The tribe also operates slot machines that do not belong to them. They are one of the few tribes nationwide that have agreed to let non-Indians operate the Class III slot machines on their land. They initially did it as a goodwill gesture to the state. However, that all changed when they ended up unplugging all of their slot machines on the Flathead Reservation, including those owned by others.

It is common knowledge that the Salish and Kootenai had signed one of the worst slot machine compacts in the country – which you can see from the low number of Class III slot machines that they owned. The tribes’ proposed compact had asked for the same number of slot machines at the Indian casinos as there were at the non-Indian ones, but the governor rejected it. Since there is no agreement at all, all Class III slot machines must be removed immediately.

The tribes currently have about 200 Class II slot machines that stayed after the compact negotiations failed. Class II slot machines bring in more than $3.4 billion a year, but Class III bring in $19.2 billion.

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