Table Setting -- The Region's Native American Communities Place Their Bets On Casino Gaming

What makes a Washington vacation? A rugged trail in the forest? A breezy stretch of ocean beach? A sail on the Sound? A placid mountain lake where the kids swim and the trout bite?

All those, of course.

But for an increasing number of Washington residents, this year's recreation may include some less traditional images: the slap of an ace on a green-felt surface, the dizzying spin of the roulette wheel, the rattle of dice at a craps table.

Some people like it; some don't, but few can deny that Washington is becoming a bit of a Nevada North.

Last weekend, the Lucky Eagle near Centralia became the 10th tribal casino operating in the state. (Please see story, Page K ?) Three more may open by year's end, and a dozen other Native American tribes are considering their options.

From the lap of Mount Baker to the bustling east edge of Auburn to remote pine forests north of Spokane, blackjack, roulette and other games of chance are taking their place alongside hiking, camping and beachcombing as recreational diversions.

At present, a visit to a tribal casino is more of a side trip than a vacation. None has the amenities of a true destination resort - yet. But plans, proposals and models exist for hotels, marinas, RV parks and golf courses.

Some tribes are waiting to see how lawsuits and a ballot initiative shape the future of tribal gaming. Others are moving forward now.

The Swinomish Tribe, for example, operating a casino near Anacortes, intends to build a hotel and a marina on the Swinomish Channel with a dock large enough to draw small cruise ships.

The Tulalip Tribes, plan an 11-story hotel, retail shops, convention center and Las Vegas-style showroom at their Marysville location.

If tribal plans are completed, "You could see first-class destination resorts in some of the most beautiful areas of the state," said Scott Crowell, an attorney for the Spokane Tribe, whose gambling operations are being challenged in court by federal officials.

Patrons of the new casinos include veteran gamblers who may get enough gambling here, thus reducing the number of trips they make to Reno and Las Vegas.

There are also people like Seattle's Terri Hutyler, who had never been in a casino.

"I dropped $11, but it was great," said Hutyler, 37, after playing slot machines operated by the Spokane Tribe at Chewelah. She tacked her casino stop onto a cross-state visit to her mother in Newport, and says she'll likely hit Indian casinos again.

Hutyler's enthusiasm, though, wasn't shared by her traveling companion. Jill Prospek Ramsay, 26, lost $30 in the same brief stay.

"It was OK," she said, "but I could think of better ways to spend my money."

Distinguishing themselves

The door to Native American casinos was opened by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. That act required states to allow tribes to offer certain forms of gambling. Tribal casinos now operate in 23 states, with more than 130 tribes either operating or preparing to open casinos.

Many are joint projects between a tribe and a Nevada-based casino company that provides expertise, training and capital.

While each casino in Washington is unique in some way, most are variations on a theme set in agreements with the state designed, in part, to limit the scale of casino gambling to a few dozen gaming tables per tribe.

Given the built-in similarities, the casinos face a challenge distinguishing themselves from one another. As I visited all 10 over the last two months, officials in at least four said they expected theirs to become known as the friendliest.

In general, the nicest of the casinos are the newer ones west of the Cascades.

Several have adopted the coastal Indian longhouse theme, with cedar timbers, totem poles, decorations with the traditional salmon design, and gift shops featuring Native American art.

Outside the Seven Cedars Casino near Sequim - near the dark-green limousines that give players free rides from Port Angeles motels - a 48-foot-tall totem tells the whale-hunting history of its hosts, the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

The Nooksack and Swinomish tribes use the longhouse theme. The Swinomish casino features skylights and an indoor waterfall in the entry way and a hall about the size of a basketball gym, with table games like blackjack and poker. In one corner, above a bar, is a huge TV screen for sporting events.

Some of the newer casinos have high ceilings and modern ventilation systems to dissipate cigarette smoke.

Smoke was particularly heavy during a weeknight visit to the newly opened Muckleshoot casino in Auburn. But judgments should be withheld until September, when the tribe opens a permanent casino five times the size of the tentlike hall now in use.

The 63,000-square-foot permanent casino will have a bar, restaurants and enlarged off-track horse-race betting area. Instead of using the traditional Indian theme, Muckleshoots are going tropical, with palm trees and hot-pink gaming tables.

Games and slots

Inside these gambling halls, blackjack is by far the most popular game - the only one played at all 10 casinos. Most offer roulette, craps and poker; some have other games such as red dog (a version of the card game acey-deucy), keno or baccarat. Bingo, a game played on reservations for years, is in or near almost all the casinos.

The most obvious difference in the games available involves one of the more controversial gambling forms: slot machines.

Western Washington casinos, most of which operate under state compacts, do not have them. Eastern Washington casinos, created without state approval, do.

The future of slots is in the courts. Although a federal judge has ruled them illegal, an appeals court said the machines can stay where they are while his decision is reviewed.

Voters may also play a role in the decision. Some tribes are circulating an initiative asking for expanded tribal gambling in exchange for a piece of the take. The measure proposes paying 10 percent of the net slot-machine revenue to voters, an amount tribal leaders say could be $100 per voter.

Meanwhile, the closest things to a full-fledged slot machine in Western Washington are 20 devices at the Lummi Casino near Bellingham. Coins are inserted, three reels spin and symbols like black bars or red flames line up on a window in front of the player.

But instead of dispensing coins, the machines drop paper print-outs of the symbols on the screen; winners are given vouchers to take to a cashier's window. Despite the general allure of slot machines, these devices were getting little play during my early evening visit on a recent Friday.

Some casino patrons say slot machines are unnecessary; others view them as crucial.

"Why ban slots?" asked Joe Rome, a visitor to the Nooksack River Casino near Bellingham. "Either let people gamble or don't let them gamble."

Rome, a former New Yorker who retired to the Vancouver, B.C. area, likes the action of the Nooksack's craps tables. But without slot machines, there's little for his wife to do, since she's uncomfortable with table games. As he played, she waited, sipping an iced tea.

The Lummi Casino, the oldest and smallest in Western Washington, is near the ferry landing to Lummi Island. Because blackjack was dealt there before the tribal-gaming law passed, it needed no state approval to continue the game. But it lacks two other standard casino games: craps and roulette.

Although the tribal casinos are modest in scale, some sizable bets can be made by players with sufficient nerve - and capital.

All six state-authorized casinos have been authorized to allow bets of up to $250 and offer 32 table games, with the proceeds of one table going to charity.

In recent months, three of the casinos - Tulalip, Nooksack and Swinomish, received permission to go to a second phase, in which bets of up to $500 can be made and 50 tables can be run, including two "charity tables."

Of the casinos without state compacts, betting limits set by the individual tribes and operators, are $25 at the Double Eagle north of Spokane, $100 at Two Rivers and Lummi and $500 at Mill Bay.

Pull-tabs, now widely available across the state, are also part of the action at tribal casinos.

Attracting players

So far, many state residents have seen news accounts about the casinos' opening, but have only sketchy ideas about where they are and what they feature.

That's changing. Gambling with a stack of $25 chips at the Muckleshoot Casino, 22-year-old Tina S. (She preferred not to give her last name) said she had never played blackjack until she visited the Tulalip Casino near Marysville. Now the Seattle woman has seen several of the casinos and expects to be a regular.

"I just learned this game and I've been doing pretty good at it," she said.

Even without elaborate tourist facilities, the casinos' locations allow them to snare some passersby. Most are along routes Washington vacationers typically travel, especially in summer.

The Swinomish Casino near Anacortes, for example, is along Highway 20 near Whidbey Island and the route to the San Juan ferry, well positioned to catch the eye of summertime travelers.

Also placed to attract vacationers is the Mill Bay Casino, above the north shore of Lake Chelan at Manson. The small enterprise of the Colville Confederate Tribes is starting its second year and could be an add-on vacation activity, at least for adults.

Other casinos whose locations will help them draw - or at least detour - passing recreational travelers include the Seven Cedars on the Olympic Peninsula and Nooksack River Casino near Mount Baker.

The urban market

Enticing players from British Columbia is a major goal in marketing efforts of the northernmost casinos: Lummi, Swinomish and Nooksack River.

Though British Columbia does have some casino gambling, betting limits are lower and hours are more restricted. Washington casinos are generally open from late morning until the wee hours of the following day.

Competition for Vancouver and Seattle dollars will heat up later this year when the Upper Skagit Tribe opens a casino built by the gambling-giant, Harrah's, just off Interstate 5 near Burlington.

Attracting travelers from far away may not be necessary for two casinos - Tulalip and Muckleshoot - which are less than an hour from downtown Seattle. It's not unusual for their gaming tables to fill up in the evenings, with some customers waiting for seats.

Completing its third year, the Tulalip Casino made a $10 million profit the first year and has seen steady growth since, said John McCoy, director of tribal business entities.

Profits have helped build a retirement home, classrooms at an elementary school, made significant contributions to the Marysville YMCA and local law enforcement and will be used to build a Boys and Girls Club on tribal land. In addition, Tulalip gaming operations employ 800 people; 60 percent are Native American.

Most casinos in Washington serve alcohol, and restaurants run the gamut from deli counters to upscale dining. Nooksack River Casino, for example, touts its Friday and Monday seafood buffet; the Swinomish Casino pushes midnight buffets and weekend brunches while Seven Cedars boasts of local seafood and a Sunday brunch.

The future

Only time will tell how effective the casinos will be at establishing and keeping a customer base. Will they lose their novelty? Will they compete against each other for a limited number of players?

Rich Adams, marketing director for the Swinomish Casino, foresees that eventually, each casino project may seek to carve out its own market niche.

For example, one might add a big RV park, another might put in a bowling alley and another might use its waterfront location for a beach, marina and showboat.

Betsy Gabel, consumer marketing manager for the state tourism office, doesn't expect the casinos to become a major factor in people choosing Washington as a vacation destination, if only because so many states will have their own tribal casinos.

But they may have an impact, she said, in helping restore the flow of tourists from Canada, off about 10 percent in recent years as the exchange rate has eroded the purchasing power of the Canadian dollar.

In stops at the Washington casinos now operating, most patrons encountered seemed enthusiastic, but some expressed mixed feelings about tribal gaming.

"I hope they do well, but to me there is sort of an underlying tragedy to the whole situation," said Bob Vaux, 29, of Anacortes. "Does it clear our conscience to tell them (Native Americans), `You can sell us our vices?' " ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tribal casinos in Washington. . Name: Tulalip Casino . Tribe: Tulalip Tribes of Washington . Location: Just west of Interstate 5 at Marysville . Opened: July 1992 . Games: Blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, pull-tabs, bingo. Driving time from Seattle: 45 min. Phone: 360-651-1111 . Other area attractions: Marina on reservation , boating and fishing in Puget Sound, Kayak Point beach and camping. . Name: Nooksack River Casino . Tribe: Nooksack Indian Tribe . Location: 14 miles east of Bellingham on Mount Baker Highway. Opened: April 1993 . Games: Blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, pai gow poker, mini-baccarat, red dog, big 6 wheel, pull-tabs. Driving time from Seattle: 2 hrs. Phone:1-800-233-2573. Other area attractions: Mount Baker camping, hiking, fishing, Mount Baker Vineyards winery.. . Name: Swinomish Casino . Tribe: Swinomish Tribal Community . Location: Halfway between I-5 and Anacortes on Highway 20 . Opened: July 1994 . Games: Blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, red dog, sic bo, pai gow poker, poker, mini-baccarat, speed bingo, bingo, pull-tabs. Driving time from Seattle: 1 hr, 15 min. Phone: 1-800-877-7529. Other area attractions: LaConner, Deception Pass, Anacortes ferry to San Juans.

. Name: Seven Cedars Casino. Tribe: Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe . Location: 5 miles east of Sequim on Highway 101. Opened: Feb. 1995 . Games: Blackjack, roulette, craps, keno, poker, pull-tabs, bingo, speed bingo. Driving time from Seattle: 1 hr (plus half-hour ferry ride from Seattle or Edmonds). Phone: 1-800-4-LUCKY-7. Other area attractions: Olympic Game Farm, Olympic Peninsula parks, marinas, beaches. . Name: Muckleshoot Casino . Tribe: Muckleshoot Tribe. Location: Highway 164 on east edge of Auburn. Opened: April 1995 . Games: Blackjack, roulette, craps, keno, poker, pull-tabs, off-track horse betting, bingo hall nearby.. Drive time from Seattle: 45 min. Phone: 206-804-4444. Other area attractions: Supermall of the Great Northwest at intersection of Highways 167 and 18; Emerald Downs horse track to open next year. . Name: Lucky Eagle . Tribe: Chehalis Confederated Tribes . Location: 8 miles west of Interstate 5 near Rochester, Thurston County . Opened: June 10, 1995.. Games: Blackjack, roulette, craps, pai gow poker, poker, mini-baccarat, big 6 wheel, keno, bingo, pull-tabs. Driving time from Seattle: 1 hr, 45 min . Phone: 360-273-2000 . Other area attractions: Factory-outlet mall in Centralia, ocean beaches. . Name: Lummi Casino . Tribe: Lummi Nation . Location: 15 miles northwest of Bellingham at Lummi Island ferry landing . Opened: December 1991Games: Blackjack, poker, pai gow poker, pull-tabs, electronic bingo (like keno), slot-printed pull-tabs. Drive time from Seattle: 2 hrs. Phone: 1-800-776-1337 . Other area attractions: Lummi Island ferry, art galleries, cafe, bed & breakfasts, picnicking, beach-combing. . Name: Mill Bay Casino . Tribe: Colville Confederated Tribes . Location: Manson, along Lake Chelan's north shore.. Opened: June 1994. Games: Slot machines, video poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, red dog, mini-baccarat, pull-tabs. Driving time from Seattle: 4 hrs. Phone: 509-687-0402. Other area attractions: Lake Chelan boating, camping, hiking, fishing.. . Name: Two Rivers Casino . Tribe: Spokane Tribe of Indians . Location: 23 miles north of Davenport on Highway 25. Opened: March 1994 . Games: Slot machines, video poker, blackjack, roulette, craps.. Driving time from Seattle: 5 1/2 hrs. Phone: 1-800-722-4031. Other area attractions: RV park, boating on Columbia and Spokane Rivers, fishing, camping. . Name: Double Eagle . Tribe: Spokane Tribe (by concessionaire). Location: Chewelah, 50 miles north of Spokane on Highway 395 . Opened: 1986 . Games: Slot machines, blackjack, video poker, roulette, poker, bingo nearby. Drive time from Seattle: 5 1/2 hrs. Phone: 509-935-4406 . Other area attractions: Camping, hiking, fishing.