Portland Meadows wants 50 slot machines to compete with Ilani Casino’s 2500 slots.
The Oregon Lottery and the Portland Meadows Racetrack are deciding on a reaction to the grand opening of the Ilani Casino in nearby Washington state. The Ilani Casino, built on Cowlitz Indian land only 24 miles from Portland, threatens to take revenues from Oregon’s gambling operations.
Portland Meadows is Oregon’s only horse racing track. The operation launched in 1947 and is a fixture on Oregon’s landscape. Executives and lobbyists for the horse track are pleading with the Oregon legislature to help the gaming operation survive a while longer.
Oregon Video Lottery Terminals: HB 2971
That means installing more video lottery terminals. At the moment, Portland Meadows has 10 video lottery terminals (essentially Class II slot machines) on site, but it is lobbying to have 40 VLTs installed at the complex.
Mike Dewey, the chief lobbyist for Portland Meadows, says the opening of the Ilani Casino makes the discussion an urgent one. Mr. Dewey calls for the passage of House Bill 2971, which would approve the installation of more VLTs to the racetrack.
According to Mike Dewey, the bill is a matter of survival. Portland Meadows’s lobbyist said, “We’re trying to keep the track alive.”
Oregon Lottery Concerned about Changes
At the same time, the Oregon Lottery is pushing for an expansion of lotto betting in Oregon. As the state’s second-largest revenue stream behind taxes, the Oregon Lottery is a matter which touches on the lives of all Oregonians, whether they play the lotto or not.
Officials at the state lottery say the new competition could hurt its bottom line. The Ilani Casino might not be an existential threat to the Oregon Lottery the way it is to Portland Meadows, but the new casino might cause a cut in public services.
While the Oregon Lottery’s executives are doing nothing more than fretting publicly over the current state of affairs, that likely will not always be the case. The Oregon Lottery can ask for new, more lucrative, forms of lottery gambling to be legalized. At some point in the future, that is certain to happen.
Ilani Casino Profile
The Ilani Casino is a threat, because it is a massive new gambling operation within a short drive of Oregon’s major population center. The casino cost over a half-billion dollars to build, and it is a partnership with an old and established gaming tribe: the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut. The Mohegan Tribe owns the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, while managing major operations like Resorts Casino in Atlantic City.
The casino, which opened on April 24, has 75 gaming tables and 2,400 slot machines. It houses 8 restaurants, hotel rooms, and amenities. It is slots row that poses such a danger to the Oregon Lottery and Portland Meadows, though.
The Rise of Racinos
Race tracks are no longer a viable form of gambling, without gaming machines on the premises. With the proliferation of lottery gaming, tribal gaming, and online/mobile gambling, players go to the race tracks less often than they did a generation ago. The races only happen a few times a year, while the cost of upkeep on infrastructure and animal training is tremendous.
For that reason, racetracks like Portland Meadows across the United States have lobbied for casino-style gaming, especially in the form of slot machines. “Racinos” are found in dozens of US states now. With their year-around gaming revenues, it allows racetracks to maintain a schedule of races. That in turn helps the local equestrian and dog breeding industries, depending on the local form of racing.
Ilani Casino Litigation
The danger from the Cowlitz Tribe/Mohegan Tribe gaming operation is a long time coming. Those who opposed the Ilani Casino in Washington and Oregon fought a 7-year legal battle to stop or stall the building of the casino. After years of litigation, the casino recently opened for business.
