lanuary 18. 2006
Page A6
Portland Casino: a
continued
Win or a Loss
from Front
occu p y
the
now
d efu n ct
M ultnom ah K ennel C lub in
Troutdale’s Wood Village.
“W e’re taking a place with a 53-
year history of gaming and retrofit­
ting it,” said Roger Gray, Good For
Oregon’s political consultant.
But there are other incentives to
the proposed location. Across the
river in La Center, Wash., the
Mohegan and Cowlitz tribes hope
to develop their own mega-casino.
“The money goes across the river
and doesn’t come back," Gray
speculated.
“If people don’t take action on
our proposal, about $700 million a
year will be spent over there.”
Currently, the nearest casino to
Portland is in Grande Ronde, about
a two-hour drive from Portland.
Stan Speaks, regional director
for the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
doesn’t speculate much competi­
tion between the proposed casi­
nos.
“At this point 1 think there will be
very little impact,” he said, “but it’s
too early to tell.”
While a Portland area casino
would put millions of dollars into
Oregon’s schools and thousands
of jobs would be created, oppo­
nents cull the revenue little more
fhoto by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
A proposal to turn the Multnomah Kennel Club greyhound racing track in Wood Village into a casino includes plans for 3,500 video
lottery terminals, about 150 gaming tables, restaurants, a spa, bowling alley and a sizable hotel.
than bribery.
“It ends up costing the state
three dollars for every dollar they
collect in ta x e s,” said D avid
Robertson, past chairman and cur-
rent board member of the National
Coalition Against Legalized Gam-
bling.
“There are social costs for people
who are addicted,” he said. “Social
services, spousal and child abuse
and bankruptcy.”
Good For Oregon says building
a casino doesn’t create more gam­
blers, but the coalition against gam­
bling claims the games double gam-
bling addictions in populations
within 50 miles of casinos.
There is one fact supporters and
opponents agree on, gambling is
gaining popularity nationwide.
“ I, has progressed in the last
six to 10 years,” Gray reported,
noting a recent measure passed
in Florida allow ing residents to
vote for casinos on a county-by-
county basis.
“W e’re beginning to see it more
and more, especially with the poker
explosion,” Robertson said. “It’s
become acceptable because when
a state brings in a lottery, they’re
saying ‘gambling is good.’”
Gray also cites a high suicide
rate among gambling addicts; ac­
cording to survey participants in a
study conducted in southern Ne­
vada, nearly one in five people with
gambling problems contemplated
suicide.
Gray said his coalition plans to
fight the casino through public
education and conferences nation­
wide.
Good for Oregon has until July
to collect the necessary signatures
to place the issue on the ballot in
November.
“ Lottery profits helped attract Royal Caribbean
- and 1,000 jobs - to Springfield.”
..O
PROJECT N? 21,016
Springfield, Lane County When Royal Caribbean executives were thinking
about where to Ideate their largest call center, they visited a lot
of cities. They shopped in malls, ate in restaurants, talked to people on the
street. And the community of Springfield blew them away. Folks were
friendly, open and exceptionally customer service oriented. These were the
people Royal Caribbean wanted talking to their customers. Royal Caribbean
was attracted to Oregon by the quality of the people, and a Lottery funded
training program that helped create a qualified work force helped seal
Chris M on n ette, D irector of Oregon Trade Support & Service
Royal Caribbean In tern a tio n a l
the deal. They have invested over $60 million to build a 165,000 square foot
environmentally-friendly building and have already hired 250 employees.
By 2009 a total of 1,000 Oregonians will be employed at the Royal Caribbean
customer service center, which will create an annual payroll of over
$25 million a year. The Royal Caribbean grant is just one of the thousands
of projects funded by Lottery profits. Since 1985 more than $4.2 billion in
Lottery profits has gone to economic development, education, parks and
itdoesgoodthings.org
watershed enhancement across the state.
■'W
f e
OREGON
LOTTERY
It does good things
Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only.
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in u lu ^Jm *tlanò (Ohsertnu* Call 5O3-288-OO33 or email ads@portlandob scrver.com