Oregon Commission Votes

The state of Oregon and the Spokane Tribe of Indians have been going back and forth on their negotiations for a compact that they can both agree upon. One of the biggest problems was that the tribe has been operating slot machines illegally for years, while the states twenty odd other tribes have been towing the mark. The Spokane tribe then came in and said they wanted five casinos and thousands of slot machines, things that have not been afforded to the other tribes.

However, it seems that an agreement has been made, and the state signed a compact with the tribe. It will allow them to have 4,700 slot machines as well as their requested casinos. This will now leave the door open to the other tribes to renegotiate their own compacts for more slot machines as well. When all is said and done, the state of Oregon could be looking at thousands more slot machines in the state.

The governor, Chris Gregoire, who is fundamentally opposed to gambling and slot machines, has said that she will most likely sign the compact as well. She said that she does not know all of the details of the deal yet, but suffice it to say that it would put an end to the decades of problems that the tribe and the state have had.

She said that the compact would allow the tribe to attract major investors so that they could expand, and it would allow the state to regulate their slot machines and casinos as well as ensure that they determine how the compact will read instead of the federal government.

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