Tribal leaders announce new casino plan in Oregon

After the successful opening of the USD 500M Ilani Casino in Ridgefield, The Siletz tribe is going public with a new casino project.

Building a casino in Salem is "an opportunity for the tribes and for the state to recover some of the revenue that's already going to Washington," Dolores Pigsley, chairwoman of the Siletz tribal council.

The tribe would pay the construction costs and collect 25% of the net gaming revenue. Another 25% of revenues would be shared with local and state government, and the remaining 50% would be split by participating tribal partners.

The Siletz tribe operates the Chinook Winds Casino on its reservation in Lincoln County. The proposed Salem casino site is not located on tribal reservation land, said Craig Dorsey, an attorney for the project. But the 20-acre parcel is federal trust land, he said, meaning the site is "already eligible" for casino development.

To break ground, the tribe will need approval from U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Gov. Kate Brown.

Pigsley said she is unsure of Zinke's position on casino developments, adding that some key Bureau of Indian Affairs oficials who would be involved in casino approval have not been appointed or confirmed by the Trump administration. Bill Iyall, chairman of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, which operates the newly opened Ilani Casino, thanked Zinke last month for "continued support" of the project as it faced litigation.