Federal officials have been deluged with Indian casino applications in response to a bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would shut the door on off-reservation gambling.

Nineteen tribes, including the Colville, Muckleshoot and Spokane tribes here in Washington, submitted applications last month before the April 15 cutoff date in McCain's legislation.

Federal officials could not be reached Wednesday to verify the list of 52 pending applications, some of which date back several years.

The Klamath, which already operate a small casino in Chiloquin north of Klamath Falls, Ore., could be the latest tribe trying to get a toehold in the lucrative Portland-Vancouver market.

The Cowlitz Tribe wants to build a $510 million casino complex near La Center. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs applied last year to build an off-reservation casino in Cascade Locks, Ore.

The list indicates the Klamath have applied for a casino on a 153-acre site in Clackamas County.

Taylor David, a Klamath tribal spokeswoman, said she wasn't aware of the application but would check with other officials.

Chuck Cushman, a Battle Ground-area resident opposed to the Cowlitz Tribe's project, distributed the list of pending applications Wednesday afternoon. Cushman declined to say where he got his information, except to joke that it came from the "Midnight Document Supply."

Len Bergstein, a Portland consultant working for the Warm Springs, said he has reviewed the same list.

The list indicates 19 applications were submitted after the Senate Indian Affairs Committee's March 29 vote to approve McCain's bill. The legislation was partially prompted by tribes seeking more lucrative locations for casinos, a trend some have dubbed "reservation shopping."

About half of the 19 applications are for off-reservation casinos.

Bergstein said he has no doubts the April 15 cutoff date triggered a flood of last-minute applications.

"Clearly, McCain meant to send a signal out that the door is going to close," he said. "And people wanted to be on the right side of the door."

Bergstein and other observers said McCain mentioned that the April 15 date could be rolled back if it triggers a flood of applications. The full Senate has yet to vote on McCain's legislation.

The list circulated Wednesday contained no date for when the Klamath submitted their application.

Bergstein said his clients wouldn't be particularly worried if the Klamath receive approval for a casino close to the Portland-Vancouver area.

"I don't think there's anything in terms of their application that would affect us one way or another," he said. "We've run the numbers with a potential Cowlitz facility. We understand what the market would be if there were a couple of casinos in the metropolitan area."

David Barnett, a Cowlitz tribal member who is spearheading the La Center project, said the Klamath's application is "the kind of thing that the Senate Indian Affairs Committee is trying to prevent."

"It's very interesting," he said. "But I think they would have a long ways to go, especially since they already have an operating casino and a reservation a long, long ways from that property."

The Cowlitz aren't seeking to build an off-reservation casino. Instead, the landless tribe is asking the federal government to designate 152 acres along the west side of Interstate 5 as its initial reservation, a decision that would allow it to build a 134,150-square-foot casino.

The Warm Springs already operate the Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino in central Oregon, but the tribe proposes to close that gambling center and open a 500,000-square-foot casino complex in Cascade Locks that would attract 3 million visitors a year.

The Cascade Locks proposal, which enjoys the backing of Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, has drawn heated opposition from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, owner of Spirit Mountain Casino.

The Grand Ronde are bankrolling an advertising campaign that includes TV commercials attacking and praising Oregon gubernatorial candidates for their positions on the Warm Springs' project.