ON EVE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, GORGE CASINO REMAINS AN UNPOPULAR, UNNECESSARY THREAT TO A FAIR STATE POLICY THAT LIMITS CASINOS, PROTECTS GORGE

Overwhelming public opposition, unreasonable off-reservation commuting distance for tribal members, Gorge environmental concerns, opening the door to more casinos, tribal inequality, and a viable on-reservation casino alternative all argue against federal approval of Oregon's first off-reservation casino

Portland -- With public meetings set to begin next week on allowing Oregon's first off-reservation casino in the Columbia River Gorge, the casino plan continues to be unpopular with most Oregonians and an unnecessary and unreasonable change to a fair state policy that limits casinos to reservation lands and protects the natural environment of the Gorge.

"The policy of one-casino, per tribe, on reservation lands is fair, treats all tribes equally and limits casinos. Allowing a Gorge casino threatens this fair policy and threatens the natural Gorge environment. We support an on-reservation casino alternative for the Warm Springs people," said Dan Lavey, a spokesman for a coalition of environmental, small business, pro-family and tribal interests who oppose the Gorge casino proposal.

Polls conducted over the past two years show deep public opposition the proposed casino. For example, a June 2006 statewide survey of likely voters revealed that 65.4% opposed, and only 27.0% favored allowing the Warm Springs Tribe to build an off-reservation casino in the Columbia River Gorge Community of Cascade Locks. By July of that year, fully 68.0% of opposed the casino, while just 25.3% favored the idea.

"Oregonians consistently oppose a Gorge casino and want to maintain a fair policy that treats all tribes equally, limits casinos to reservation lands and protects the Gorge environment. Casino advocates try to deny these poll numbers, but in their decade-long effort to gain approval for the state's first off-reservation casino, they have never shared any polling that demonstrates broad public support for a Gorge casino," said Lavey.

In addition to concerns about allowing casinos on off-reservation lands and threats to the Gorge environment, new guidelines from the Department of Interior give greater scrutiny to casinos located outside of reasonable commuting distances for tribal members and raise further doubts about the Gorge casino proposal.

"A 218 mile round-trip commute from where most tribal members live is unreasonable, unsafe and unnecessary when an on-reservation alternative is available. The border of the Warm Springs Reservation may be 40 miles 'as the crow flies' to the proposed new casino, but most tribal members live 109 miles away and would have to 2-3 hour daily commute depending on weather and road conditions," said Lavey.

"A new on-reservation casino doesn't require a radical policy change and will improve both the economic livelihood of tribal members and the quality of reservation life. That was, after all, the original purpose of federal Indian gaming laws," said Lavey.

For more information on the time and location of public meetings visit www.nogorgecasino.com. Also available at the site, under the Issues Section, is additional polling information about the proposed Gorge casino.