The Grand Ronde Tribe announced on Thursday the purchase of a former greyhound racetrack in Wood Village, Oregon. Many believe that the acquisition deal would eventually result in the establishment of a casino on the site.
Private investors have long expressed interest in building a gambling venue there but Grand Ronde has managed to fight their efforts. Commenting on the purchase, tribal officials said that their aim was to prevent the construction of a casino on the site of the former Multnomah Greyhound Park as one would be a direct competition to Spirit Mountain Casino, managed by Grand Ronde.
The tribe said the site could prove to be quite a profitable multi-purpose development. However, it pointed out that the possibility for the launch of a casino should not be ruled out. Justin Martin, lobbyist for Grand Ronde, told local media that he would not deny that gaming may be conducted at the site at some point. Quite the contrary, Mr. Martin noted that if Oregon’s gaming face changes in future, a casino may be established at the former racetrack.
And if the tribe really opts for a gambling venue, it may come upon a number of federal legal hurdles and a state regulation, under which a given tribe is allowed to operate only one casino on reservation land.
Following the announcement for the purchase of the former racetrack, people with knowledge of the matter suggested that Grand Ronde wants to fight competition from a projected casino in La Center, Washington, which is to be managed by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. The tribe was granted federal approval to complete its project and to eventually launch the gambling venue that is likely to attract gambling customers from Oregon as well.
The Grand Ronde did not reveal how much it was to pay for the purchase of the former racetrack. The venue was placed on the market earlier this year with a price tag of $11.2 million.
Commenting on the deal, Bill Peterson, City Manager for Wood Village, said that he and other officials had previously discussed the purchase with tribal officials but had not been informed about the future use of the site.
Reyn Leno, Chairman of Grand Ronde, said that they cannot rule out the possibility for the establishment of a casino in future. Yet, he pointed out that for now, their top priority is to develop the former racetrack into a property that would diversify the tribe’s investment holdings.
