Though located in the State of Washington, Ilani Casino is only 24 miles from Portland, Oregon.
The $510 million Ilani Casino Resort is ready to open on Friday, April 24 in Ridgefield, Washington, a town of 4,763 residents. The opening comes after a hard-fought court battle waged by local card room owners.
The poker rooms sued the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to keep the Ilani Casino from being opened. After district and appellate court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal filed by La Center card room owners, ending the long legal battle.
Legal Battle Since 2010
That allowed the tribe to go ahead with its grand opening this coming Friday. Bill Iyall, the chairman of the Cowlitz Tribe, expressed his joy to hear the good news. The tribe first gained recognition by the US Department of the Interior in 2002. It gained approval for a casino in 2010, but a 7-year legal battle ensued to keep the casino from ever opening.
Chairman Iyall said, “We are extremely pleased to open the doors to Ilani and provide the local community with a source for economic growth. Our destination is expected to attract over 4.5 million visitors a year, and we feel certain that local businesses will benefit from increased visitation to the area.”
$512 Million Casino Complex
Most expect the 368,000-square-foot complex to have a major impact on regional tribal casinos and local card rooms. The Ilani Casino is expected to make $200 million a year, most of which from customers who once attended those other gambling establishments. Some analysts believe the casino might impact the Washington State Lottery revenues.
The tribe’s 4,100 members, who are found in scattered communities across Western Washington, see the casino as a boon. The Ilani Casino plans to hire 1,200 permanent staff members, including dealers, waitresses, security, maintainence, and management.
2% of Net Revenues for Education and Art
The casino agreed to return 2% of the net revenues to the community through education and art programs. That should represent several million dollars a year. Revenues will go to the State of Washington, though that money is supposed to offset the cost of regulating the gaming activities, only.
The half-billion dollar casino boasts 2,500 slot machines and 75 table games, including blackjack, midi-baccarat, craps, Pai Gow poker, and roulette. The casino gaming space is not going to feature a separate poker room, presumably to help the local card rooms stay in business.
Expansions Already Being Planned
The Ilani Casino is planning a 17,000-square-foot convention center and a hotel. At the moment, it has several restaurants. Michael Jordan’s Steak House is going to be prominent at the casino. Line & Lure Seafood Kitchen will provide a seafood menu, while TAP Sports Bar, a favorite at casinos from Las Vegas to Detroit, will be one of ten other eateries. A food court will be open to visitors, though no buffets are offered.
Mohegan Tribal Authority Management
The Cowlitz Tribe is partnering with Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut on the casino. The Mohegan Tribal Authority is best known for the Mohegan Sun, once the largest casino in the world. The Mohegan Tribe has properties in the American northeast. It also manages other successful properties, such as Morris Bailey’s Resorts Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City and has been lauded for turning around the operation.
The Mohegan Tribe is going to bring its experience to the Ridgefield operation, giving those who wish well to Ilani Casino optimism. Kara Fox-LaRose, the president and CEO of the Ilani Casini, said, “We are thrilled to welcome the community to an exciting new entertainment destination that is Ilani.”
A Mohegan Tribal Authority spokesman said even opening the casino is an “enormous accomplishment by the dedicated teams of both organizations and all our talented construction partners.”
Closed Card Rooms in La Center
Meanwhile, the local card rooms in nearby La Center continue to close. Two of the four card rooms have closed since 2014. Dealers from those rooms who stayed in the area are likely to be dealers at the Ilani Casino Resort.
Though it is located across the border in Washington, the town of Ridgefield is 24 miles from Portland, Oregon. The casino’s main crowd will be from the Portland Metropolitan Area.
