Ilani Casino Resort opened its doors
The Washington State US$510 million casino opened its doors to the public yesterday morning.
US.- ilani Casino Resort is opened to the public after its officials launched the inauguration on Monday morning. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is hoping to attract 4.5 million visitors annually and to create more than 1200 jobs.
“This is a triumphant moment for The Cowlitz Indian Tribe because it marks the end of a 160-year journey back to our homeland, and the beginning of a new journey,” said Tribal Chairman William Iyall to the Seattle Times. The gambling facility features up to 2500 slots and 75 game tables in 100.000 square feet of space. Moreover, it offers 15 shops, restaurants and bars as well as a 2500 seat concert hall and convention center that is scheduled to open later this year.
The project took seven years to be completely approved due to a legal battle against the operators, Cowlitz Native Tribe, and earlier this month the US Supreme Court decided to reject an appeal by opponents who claimed that the State’s government made a mistake by giving the Cowlitz Tribe 152-acre plot in 2010.
President of ilani, Kara Fox-LaRose, had said this past weekend that they have had a lot of engagement from Seattle residents who seemed to be excited about their opening, so they were interested to see who would come.
