Turning Lives Around

The Cascade Locks Casino is the result of a historic agreement between Governor Ted Kulongoski and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. In exchange for not locating the casino on environmentally sensitive lands near Hood River, the State of Oregon agreed to allow the tribe to build a resort and casino on a vacant industrial site in the City of Cascade Locks. The agreement provides a number of benefits for Oregon families and will help turn around the lives of thousands of Oregonians.

Jobs. The construction of the Cascade Locks Resort and Casino will provide 500 jobs and over 2 million hours of work for people in construction related trades over 22 months. Once operational, the casino will provide 1,700 permanent jobs in the casino and resort — in addition to other tourism jobs created in nearby communities.

Scholarships. A portion of the revenues from the casino will be used to provide scholarships to students attending Oregon colleges and universities. It is estimated that the foundation that administers these scholarships will receive $270 million in the first ten years of the casino's operation. This will grow to $850 million over the first 25 years.

Revitalizing an abandoned site

The selection of the site at Cascade Locks has been applauded by environmentalists as well as tribal and community leaders. By locating the site in an industrial area of Cascade Locks, Oregonians will be assured that no casino will ever be built on the pristine forest lands close to Hood River. The town of Cascade Locks has welcomed the resort and casino as a source of new jobs, recognizing that job-producing developments are permitted in certain urban locations by the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area Act.

Just as importantly, the agreement signed by the Governor and the tribes provides for the perpetual protection of environmentally sensitive Hood River lands. It settles disputed land claims to guarantee public access to the Mark Hatfield Trail and uses revenues from the casino to protect salmon and restore sensitive habitat along both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River.