According to the tribe’s estimates, the phased development will eventually create 2,100 new jobs. In January, the Spokane Tribe of Indians broke ground on a $130 million casino-hotel-shopping complex west of Airway Heights. More than 2,000 people work at five casinos run by the Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai, Spokane and Kalispel tribes, and the numbers are growing. In less than a decade, Indian casinos have become one of the region’s largest employers. The casino’s growth parallels the rise of tribal gaming in the Inland Northwest. “It’s fabulous what we’ve done – this little tribe – in 13 years,” said Charlie Morris, director of the Coeur d’Alene Casino. More than 800 workers are needed to run the gaming operation, a hotel, restaurants, events center and golf course. Multiple expansions have created the Coeur d’Alene Casino & Resort – a lodge-style complex of neon lights, Vegas-style machines and geometric Native American decor.
Today, the bingo hall is a distant memory. Still the buses came, disgorging crowds of eager gamblers. It was a 30-minute drive from Coeur d’Alene 55 minutes from Spokane. WORLEY, Idaho – Thirteen years ago, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe gambled on a modest bingo hall along a rural stretch of U.S.
